


Take Wing, Coccinelle!

by LaterDays, ZiriO



Series: The Miraculous Adulting of Marinette and Adrien [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Adrinino Shiptease, Alya Césaire Ships It, Alya to the rescue, Alyanette Shiptease, Chat Noir Has To Convince Her Not To, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Ladybug Is Going To Murder Papillon, Nino Lahiffe Ships It, Nino Lahiffe is the Best of Bros, Oblivious Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Perpare the Orbital Fluff Cannon!, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, The ZiriDays Miraculous Dumpster, Therapy, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wedding Fluff, self-care
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-06-17 01:32:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 38,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15450429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaterDays/pseuds/LaterDays, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZiriO/pseuds/ZiriO
Summary: As Ladybug and Chat Noir’s fight against Papillon drags on far longer than the heroes ever anticipated, Adrien Agreste makes the discovery of his life that was hiding in plain sight in the form of Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Yet they still remained oblivious to the truth just under their noses. Between juggling adulthood and their secret hero lives in a battle to protect each other, will they ever uncover the most elusive truth of all; the identity of Papillon, the most frustrating and dangerous man in all of Paris?





	1. Lovesick

**Author's Note:**

> Gooooood evening starshines, and welcome back to the beginnings of the super secret project that LaterDays and I have been working on since nearly the start of Breathless Garden! So not only will you be getting a fic from me, but we're going to be doing a super-special combo action and give you....MULTIPLES AT ONCE! Or at least more than one at some point! Confetti and ice cream for all!
> 
> But seriously I am very excited to be posting this, I've been sitting on it since mid-June but we wanted to wrap up Breathless Garden first before we began this joint venture. But now we are very proud to present this glorious flufftrain of oblivious lovesquares, frustrated best friends, and the Eternal Quest to Unmask Papillon! Please enjoy, and as always, we will see you next time! ♥

The first time he felt like he saw her differently had been after they’d graduated collège, Marinette was running to catch up to the rest of them without her usual pigtails flying behind her. She’d leaned over, gripping her knees as she gasped for air once she’d caught up with the group, all her hair pulled over her shoulder in a hasty ponytail. When she’d straightened, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes had sparkled as she grinned at Alya, and for a moment Adrien had completely forgotten what he’d been doing. Talking to Nino about the movie they were going to see later, he had been fairly certain, but all he could think of was the way she had bit her lip when she realized he had been looking at her as her face flushed to the tips of her ears.

“Hey Adrien.” A shy smile, a hesitant wave of her fingers, and suddenly he remembered how to make his brain work again. Snapping out of his slack-jawed stupor, he cleared his throat and returned her grin with a sly smile.

“Hey Marinette, couldn’t find your ribbons today?” He grinned all the more at the way her eyes went wide, her hand flying to her ponytail as she ducked her head and began to squirm under his gaze. Oh no, that...that was really cute. When had she gotten so cute? “It looks good on you like that.”

He found that the way she bit her lip and seemed to glow at the compliment was even better.

“Thanks.” Her murmur was almost too soft to hear, but the way her gaze flicked up to meet his before she looked away again made his chest feel warm in a way he hadn’t felt since Ladybug. It was new and exciting, and he wanted more. Neither he nor Marinette noticed the looks Nino and Alya exchanged behind their backs.

* * *

The second time was after they’d graduated lycée, somehow he’d convinced his father to let him continue his public education, managing to stay in the same school as his core group of friends. He wouldn’t have known what to do with himself without Nino or Alya, and as the years had gone on he’d found himself drawing Marinette closer as well. Or maybe it had been her dragging him in. Looking back, Adrien was never entirely certain. He only knew that her stutters had slowly eased, and she could return his teasing quips with the kind of easy grace he’d only noticed in Ladybug. Enough that he’d found himself thinking less and less of his partner when he was outside the mask; or at least not with the same heartwrenching longing he’d felt when he’d first seen her declare war against Papillon for the safety of Paris.

No, it had simply softened the blows of Ladybug’s continued rejections, until his flirting was simply nothing more than playful banter. Old habits that clung on even after he began to tower over his partner who had long since left her pigtails behind. Somewhere deep there was a flame still burning for her, but with every smile and laugh he had dragged out of Marinette, something new and beautiful burned brighter, and he couldn’t entirely place his finger on it.

Not until Marinette breezed into the restaurant with her hair just--gone. The long, silken hair that often got tossed into a bun at the back of her head or a braid that trailed over her shoulders was now a sharp pixie cut that exposed her neck and the soft curve of her jaw. The sight alone had him suddenly grabbing for his water like a man dying in a desert. He knew Marinette had just come back from a portfolio review for one of the fashion schools she was applying to, dressed in a pants suit that exposed shapely calves that she didn’t even need high heels for and hugged her waist. He only realized he was trying to drown himself with his water glass because Nino said something about him needing to come up for air someday while Alya just _laughed at him_ as she waved Marinette over. Sputtering and coughing, he barely had enough time to remember how to breathe and wipe his face off before she slid into her seat.

The seat right next to him. The one that Alya and Nino had both pointedly refused to take when they’d sat across from him. Marinette’s thigh ended up pressed against his thanks to the shallow booth and he thought he was going to die. No, scratch that. With her this close he could see the faint dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose as her cheeks pinked, and he was pretty sure it added another ten years to his life. When had he turned into such a hot mess?

“Sorry I’m late, the review took longer than I was expecting. They kept asking about my designs and I had to show them some of my online portfolio as well, and--” her hands waved as she talked, something she’d never quite grown out of even if it wasn’t as obvious when she was relaxed. He’d just been so used to it when they were younger because she’d always been so high-strung around him that she could barely hold still. As it was, her foot hardly even jiggled as Alya prodded her for more details about the review, and Marinette let out the most adorable laugh he’d heard in years. Had she always laughed like that?

“Bro, you’re going to pour water down your front.” Nino leaned across the table so only Adrien could hear, and he barely stopped himself from soaking the front of his new shirt because he was trying to pour it over his chin.

“ _Thanks._ ” He winced, unable to stop the flush of embarrassment, until he realized Marinette was watching him with a slightly worried look on her face.

“You okay?” Between the look on her face and the sweet tone of voice he felt like someone had shot him in the heart.

“Who, me? Y-yeah! Yeah, I’m fine.” Adrien nodded, managing to keep his cool at least a little longer as he raked his fingers through his bangs. Luckily he was rewarded with a bright smile as Marinette relaxed back into her seat.

“I’m glad, I’m still a little anxious about this afternoon though. Thanks again for agreeing to help model for my boutique.” So wrapped up in the way she was toying with her napkin, it took him almost a full minute to remember he’d come to help Marinette with a photo shoot. Of her new line of clothes.

The ones that she’d been including in her portfolio that had just been reviewed today. Adrien could have kicked himself.

“No problem, Marinette. Anything to help out a friend.” As soon as the words left his mouth he wanted to bite his tongue. _Just a friend._ How often had he said that about her over the years? And yet, this time, he wanted to snatch the words back as he saw for the first time - and with uncomfortable clarity - how the light seemed to dim in her eyes at those words and a sigh so small escaped past her lips he wouldn’t have seen it if he hadn’t focused his entire attention on her. He needed to stop lying to himself, he’d been lying to himself for years and he knew, without a shadow of a doubt that if he didn’t do something _right now_ he’d regret it for ages. Clearing his throat he tried again, his fingers lazily circling the rim of his water glass to try and keep himself from losing his cool completely.

“So, once the shoot’s over, do you maybe want to see if we can find Andre’s, just you and me? As a celebration for a good day’s work?” Nervousness twisted in his gut as he waited, watching her and praying that _just this once_ , he’d throw himself out there and be caught instead of falling flat on his face.

He had not been entirely prepared for the experience of watching Marinette process what he’d said. At first she just watched his face, a tiny crease between her brows, then they arched so high they disappeared beneath the sweep of her bangs as her eyes went wide. Sucking in air like she’d been socked in the gut, her eyes were bluer than ever and huge in shock as her face turned three different shades of pink before settling on a scorching scarlet that washed over her face, down her neck to her collarbones, and probably her shoulders as well but he couldn’t be certain thanks to her blazer. Clapping a hand over her mouth to stifle her initial high-pitched teakettle style keen of shock, Marinette clamped her mouth shut to stifle the sound and fanned her face with both hands to get herself back under control. When she seemed to be able to breathe normally again she did her best to rest her elbow casually on the tabletop and missed.

At least she made it the second time.

“Y-yeah! Sounds like a great idea, Adrien!” Her smile was a little too wide, her voice crawling up in pitch, but even with how she plucked at her lower lip it was obvious that she was delighted.

“Awesome! It’s a date, then.” Adrien grinned, and Marinette accidentally knocked a couple empty dishes onto the floor as her elbow slipped clean off the table and she began to sputter apologies to the wait staff that rushed to clean it up while Adrien winced guiltily.

Neither of them saw Alya sock Nino’s shoulder or how a handful of euros were swapped under the edge of the table.

* * *

“What’s that face for, Buginette?” Chat purred, landing lightly beside his partner as she gazed out dreamily over the lights of Paris. She was smiling so wide he thought his heart would burst just looking at her. To be fair, he was certain he’d have a similar look on his face after the day he’d had.

“Hmm?” She sounded so far-off, tearing her gaze away from the lights to lean back, hanging onto the railing as she swayed. “I had the _best_ day today, Chaton.” She beamed, and all he could do was chuckle at her, reaching out to sweep her bangs out of her eyes. She looked so different without her long hair, but he had to admit now that he was starting to get used to it, it was a cute look on her. Paired with the new changes to her suit, she looked older. More refined. Or would have if she didn’t look so over-the-moon in love in that instant that he almost felt jealous. Almost. Maybe he would have a few years before, but there was still a fresh pool of warmth in his chest from when he’d had to pull himself away from the sweetest first kiss of his life just to go on patrol. The patrol he’d nearly called Ladybug to cancel just so he could linger a little longer on his date.

“Well, tell me about yours and _purr_ haps I’ll tell you about mine.” He grinned, leaning against the rails as he watched Ladybug almost lose herself to a girlish delight. It reminded him that not so long ago, they’d been fourteen and in this very spot talking of homework and videogames and who knew what else. He couldn’t top grinning as Ladybug told him as much as she dared about the day she’d spent with the boy she’d loved with all her heart for years. He hoped whoever this boy was never let that smile fade from his Lady’s face, while he couldn’t help but wait to tell her all about his new adventures as well.


	2. Wedding Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After years of being just friends, Adrien discovers how much he truly loves Marinette, and the smitten kitten has to be reminded _rather firmly_ by Ladybug that there's a certain order to things. After all, you can't just jump straight from dating to happily ever after, now can you!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, starshines! We are back yet again with another dose of tooth-rotting fluff! As well as potentially a more spicy addition as a side-story, but that will be posted separately because it is...well. Super duper extra spicy, and the main fic is going to keep its T rating. So keep your eyes peeled over the next few days for the continuation, and as always I hope you enjoy, and we'll see you next time!

She’d almost given up on ever catching Adrien’s attention in a more-than-friends kind of way when it seemed like he’d suddenly decided to throw himself into her lap. Why and how, she wasn’t exactly certain, but here she was rambling away at Chat Noir about her day again because she couldn’t control her own feelings when _Adrien_ was involved. Even after three months she still couldn’t believe they were dating.

_Dating._ She was dating _Adrien Agreste._

Ladybug was so excited she could burst! She clapped her hands over her face and nearly screamed into them out of pure joy. It was like being fourteen all over again, but she was twenty and well on her way to getting everything she’d wanted in life. She couldn’t stop the ridiculous little dance she did that would have had her slipping clean off the roof top if Chat hadn’t caught her around the middle and gently planted her feet back on solid ground with a laugh.

“Easy there, Buginette. I’d hate to see you try and land on your feet like that.” He grinned at her and ruffled her hair, and even she laughed as she swatted his hand away. Why was he always touching her hair now? A girl gets her hair cut for charity and suddenly everyone was running their fingers through it because it was shorter than she’d ever worn it in her life. Then again, the only people she really let get away with it were her parents, her partner, Alya got one free touch, and Adrien.

Who had spent a lot of the afternoon running his fingers through it and over the short hairs at the nape of her neck and just- _nope!_ Not thinking about that when she was with Chat. It was a little weird because just remembering it was enough to leave her with a deliciously shivery feeling and that thought was going right back into the box it slipped out of. So with a sneaky grin of her own, Ladybug reached up to tousle Chat’s hair, earning her a surprised squawk as he tried to duck away before she could find the secret spots that left him a purring, melting mess. Their contained rooftop chase quickly evolved into a game of tag that wound from one end of Paris to another until they ended up at the top of the Eiffel Tower, gasping for air around the dying remains of their laughter, as Ladybug swung her heels over the edge.

“Chat?” She called after a moment of catching their breath, she didn’t bother to look up at him, the wind ruffling her hair and her grin making her face hurt.

“Yes, milady?” The purr in his voice was very distinct, and she glanced up at him to see him resting his chin on his arms that he’d folded across one of the supports. His tail flicked idly and his grin softened the mischievous sparkle in his eyes, even if only a little.

“Do you ever think of what you’d do after we win?” Cocking her head, she almost felt like she could leap off the edge and take flight, a passing fancy that she let slip away as her partner pursed his lips, stroking his chin as his purr rumbled noisily. Was he starting to grow a beard? Adrien had a really good look going right now with a close-cropped scruff that was almost strawberry blonde, and she had a feeling it would look good on Chat too.

“Aside from telling you and the others our identities?” He smirked, and she stuck her tongue out at him, earning her a laugh from her kitty. Deep inside they were still fourteen, even though they were old enough to pay their own student loans and vote. Adulthood was oddly terrifying sometimes, and Ladybug had to admit there were days she’d rather fight akumas. “I suppose so. Why, what’s buzzing in that head of yours this evening?”

“I was just thinking of all the sorts of things we don’t usually get to do, is all.” Ladybug hummed, an odd trilling sort of vibrato filling the air that was new, but not too strange. If Chat purred it wasn’t entirely weird that she’d end up with some sort of buzzing sound sooner or later. “Like go on vacations, travel, do...normal people things I suppose? Still….” She leaned back and closed her eyes, breathing in the night air and blowing it out slowly.

“I wish I could bring him up here so he could see this. I know it’s our spot, but…” She shrugged, nose wrinkling as she looked up at Chat.

“You? Bringing your mysterious life-long crush to _our_ secret hangout spot? Why, Ladybug! How could you?” He gasped, clapping a hand to his chest as he made the most outrageously offended face he could muster, and her laughter rang through the night. When both of them got their chuckles under control, he was grinning broad enough that she could see his fangs gleam in the moonlight. “I don’t blame you, Buginette. I’d like to bring her here too. I have a feeling she’d appreciate the view.”

“I sure hope so, Chaton.” Ladybug smiled. She swung her feet again as she gazed out over the rooftops, imagining what it would feel like with Adrien held close to her side and seeing Paris through her eyes. Whoever Chat Noir’s girlfriend was, Ladybug hoped she was nice. She _sounded_ nice from how he waxed poetic about her whenever he was given even a _centimeter_ of a chance, but still Ladybug worried. As tough as he was, Chat had a soft heart, and the last thing Ladybug wanted was to have to break down a girl’s door because she’d left her partner heartbroken and sobbing somewhere. He deserved everything and more, and she knew that whoever he’d gifted his heart to held the world in their hands. With that thought, she let her nerves go, trusting her partner’s choice and letting her playful grin slip back into place as she met his gaze once more. “So, after we win, no feeling bad about taking our dates up here for superhero date night?”

“No complaints here, Bug.” He winked, fangs flashing. “Just don’t feel bad if I’m more handsome than your man.”

“Chat!” She yelled, laughing so hard she had to hang on to the struts she was leaning against. “You wish!”

* * *

His face hurt from smiling almost all the time now. Between days with Marinette and whatever infectious joy was filling either him or Ladybug at any given moment, it was as if the world was readjusting itself after six long years of frustration at the hands of Papillon. How many times was one of them bounced off a wall? How many times had _he_ had to explain away his bruises? So much pain and suffering, stress and lost sleep, too many bad things had been packed into the years since he and Ladybug had been gifted their Miraculouses. He knew he should probably be worried waiting for the other shoe to drop, but he couldn’t bring himself to care when he was falling into bed after a long day of classes, dinner with the Dupain-Chengs, and patrol.

Apparently, Marinette had _accidentally_ let slip at some point early in their relationship that his diet was not the best thanks to being overly regulated for model work that he used to fund his university classes, and Sabine and Tom had taken it as a challenge. Now that he and Marinette were almost at their first year anniversary, her parents’ game had gone from ‘slip the boy whatever leftovers they can’ to weekly meals that fit around both his and Marinette’s course work. Dinner tended to extend to dinner-and-a-movie, or even dinner and videogames, and Adrien quickly discovered why Marinette was so difficult to beat. Tom Dupain was an absolute _beast_ of a man with a controller, and the years since Adrien first played Marinette in collège had not slowed him down at all. It seemed Marinette still living at home kept him from getting rusty, as they shared a video game collection that was daunting for its small size.

Adrien had yet to beat them in any of their chosen fighting games, but was slowly catching up. Though he had to admit to himself that he did embellish his scores when he was talking to Ladybug. It wasn’t _precisely_ lying, but it wasn’t as if she’d find out, right? Right. Sadly, that night he’d had to leave Marinette’s once dinner was over in order to make it to patrol, claiming to have to work on a project that he’d left at home when it was already finished. The hardest part had been that dinner had been so delicious he hadn’t wanted to leave, made even harder by the way Marinette had hugged him goodnight, her kisses lingering and as sweet as her lip balm. The only thing that had saved her from getting scooped into his arms and kissed senseless was knowing that her parents were never as far away as either of them hoped. It wasn’t as if Tom and Sabine _hovered_ exactly, but they had the uncanny ability to suddenly be just outside a door whenever he and Marinette were getting particularly cozy. Thankfully they hadn’t been caught doing more than giggling and kissing or he’d fling himself into the deepest part of the Seine in shame.

Not that he and Marinette hadn’t gotten farther than that at all, just not anywhere near where her parents could catch them. Even if Nino did heckle him on occasion about not making an actual score yet, Adrien wasn’t exactly in a rush. Marinette was worth taking his time, letting her set the pace more often than not, though there were a few _choice_ evenings that he remembered fondly enough to never speak of to either Nino _or_ Ladybug. Some things were best kept to himself, especially when they left his fingertips tingling, mouth dry, and a tantalizing sort of itch creeping down his spine that made him want to race across rooftops to see her again or bury himself in his own blankets for the evening. Sadly he’d have to wait to spend that sort of quality time with her again, but the waiting _did_ make his time with her all the sweeter.

That and Ladybug seemed to be suffering almost as much as he was, which had left him chuckling most of the evening. Apparently she’d had time with her beau cut short just when she’d been ready to drag him into a dark corner and do more than simply snog him senseless. A _lot_ more, which meant he had a _very_ grumpy Lady on his hands for the rest of patrol and only bribery with ice cream and wine had taken the edge off her sulking. It also made for a hilarious evening with a drunken bug before he’d had the good sense to keep tabs on how much of the bottle she had helped herself to. Which ended in him giving her piggy back rides as she tugged on his cat ears while she divulged all her dirty secret wishes.

And by dirty secret wishes he discovered how many children she wanted and how cute she was sure they’d be, and how she’d originally wanted dogs and hamsters but maybe. _Maybe_ she could be convinced to have a cat because her boyfriend finds them so charming and maybe a certain alley cat had rubbed off on her. How she liked to cuddle with her beau so that her clothes smelled like him after he left, and Chat found her badgering him for what shampoo he used because it smelled rather like her boyfriend’s and she wanted to try it too. Somehow she’d managed to sober up enough by the end of patrol that he could put her on her feet again, teasing her mercilessly for it the entire time and cackling as she chased him to the top of Notre Dame’s towers. By the time they were at the top she was wheezing and he’d taken pity on her (not without teasing her even more, of course), and helped her sit.

Stretched out against the gently sloped roof of the cathedral’s northern tower, he passed Ladybug a bottle of water as she grumbled, the stars faint through the bright lights of the city. Something inside him twitched as he lay there, Ladybug’s head resting against his shoulder as he’d idly tapped his fingers against his ribs. There was something that was missing, that he hadn’t had a name for, and he found himself chewing at his lower lip as his thoughts wandered.

“Ladybug?” His voice sounded small in the relative quiet of the city, laid out beneath the vast expanse of night. The moment lingered as she took another sip of water, and he felt her head shift on his shoulder as she looked up at him.

“What’s got your tail in a twist, minou?” Sounding much improved already, she’d lost the surly edge to her words, her tone now matching his. Soft as if just for him, like their conversation was a secret between themselves, the cathedral gargoyles, and the sky.

“I was wondering, do you think it’s too early to propose?” He winced when she sputtered next to him, glancing over in open worry as she doubled over to cough. “Well _that’s_ not very reassuring, milady.” He grumbled, nervously raking his claws through his hair as Ladybug waved him off.

“N-no, it’s not that.” She coughed once more, her head between her knees. When she got her airways cleared, she took a smaller sip, set the bottle aside, then turned her full attention on him. “You two haven’t even been dating for a year yet, right?” Something about her frown had him squirming, taking his tail in his hands and wringing it.

“Well _no_ , but we’ve known each other for a lot longer than that,” His smile was nervous, and Ladybug just stared down at him, her mouth set in an unforgiving line that made him want to hide from her hooded gaze.

“Have you even talked to her about your future yet?” Her brows rose, and he opened his mouth to speak before pausing, a confused sound in the back of his throat. “I mean _together_ , Chat. Surprise proposals are only cute if the other person actually wants to marry you. Being together for a year is really great, but have you two talked about having a future _together?_ ” She waited, her head cocked as she watched him mull it over, and found herself nearly blinded by his smile as his ears flicked to attention and his eyes went wide.

“So I should see if she likes the idea of being married first? That’s a great idea, Buginette! You’re the best.” He threw his arms around her, and was pleasantly surprised that she let him rub his cheek against her for a moment before the inevitable hand was slid between them to push his nose away.

“It’s just being sensible, chaton. Besides, I thought _I_ was the drunk one.” She scolded, even though there wasn’t any heat to the words. Still, she shook her head, reaching down to gently pet his hair and run her fingers through it the way he liked best. They sat like that for a long time, soaking up each other’s presence as she hummed softly, her trilling buzz relaxing him until he was left purring.

“Want to know something, chaton?” She murmured, playing with one of his pointed ears by tracing its edges with her finger and thumb before wiggling it back and forth.

“What is it, milady?” His brow arched as he tried to peer up at her without moving, his tail flicking lazily.

“I’d propose if I could, I think. Mostly because I’ve loved him for so long, I want to keep him to myself.” She laughed, shaking her head. “It’s not the _best_ idea, I’d still wait at least another year just to be sure it’s right, but...it’s so _tempting_ , you know?” Ladybug smirked down at him, drawing a chuckle from the cat as he nodded.

“Yeah, yeah I do know.” He was content to lie there, but now that she’d said it, the excitement was thrilling through him, and once more his fingers rapped a nervous rhythm across his sternum. “So, I was thinking, when I do propose, and it’s not going to be yet but I mean _when_ I finally do it, I was thinking something nice. A nice dinner, a walk by the Seine, but I want it to be something she’d like. What do you think, Buginette?” He glanced up at her, wheedling hopefully as she ran her fingers through her hair. It was how she used to play with her ponytail, but now she could only rake her fingers through her bangs as she pursed her lips and stewed quietly.

“Depends on what time of day you do it, I think. Maybe dinner and a movie? I’m not really sure, minou. Every girl is different, I might not like what she likes.” Plucking at her lower lip, Ladybug hummed, her frown growing deeper before she met his gaze once more. “Just go with what feels right, not what you _think_ you should do. Remember, chaton, if she’s marrying you it’s because she loves _you_ , not whatever crazy scheme everyone tells you should work. Go with your instincts, it hasn’t really gone wrong for you yet, right? After all, I seem to recall what would have been a _very_ romantic date from an alley kitten a few years ago.” Her lips quirked in a playful smile, and Chat didn’t even have time to escape before she pinched his nose.

“Ack! _Bug_ , that’s not fair!” His whine only made her laugh more, leaving him pouting as he crossed his arms and did his best not to look at her even though he was still half in her lap.

“Sorry, minou, I couldn’t resist. But that candle light dinner you’d had planned was _very_ sweet. I really think you’ll sweep her off her feet if you just be yourself, chaton.” It was incredibly hard to sulk properly when she was touseling his hair like that. The encouragement hadn’t hurt either, and soon he was purring again, his smile lazy as he soaked up the comfortable silence around them. Silence that gave him room to think again, his fingers tap-tap-tapping on his chest as his tail swept the roof.

“What is it, Chat?” Ladybug sounded somewhere between amused and resigned, and he couldn’t stop himself as he began to ramble excitedly.

“Okay, so I had an idea about the _rings_ \--”

“Chat Noir, what did I just say about asking her first?”

“I _know_ , I know, but just in case!” His ears tucked back as she let out one of her noisy groaning sighs that she reserved for the worst of his puns, but he plowed on. “So I was thinking of getting her something really nice, right? Do you think it should be big or just really sparkly?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Chat.” She paused, scowling a little in irritation that he seemed to be getting ahead of himself, but gave it serious thought for a moment. “Probably something sparkly instead of gaudy. Better to have a sleek design that can go with anything than something cumbersome, you know?”

“Exactly! That’s what I was thinking, I wanted to get her something really elegant and refined, but really bright and sparkly because she’s--”

“Chat don’t you _dare_ \--!”

“The light of my life and my treasure!” He grinned up at her, all toothy fangs and glittering eyes and Ladybug groaned into her hands in dismay.

“ _Please_ don’t say that to her when you give her the ring, she’ll throw it in the trash.” She moaned into her hands, dragging her fingers down her face. For his part, Chat looked _particularly_ offended.

“ _Wow,_ rude!” Snorting, he scrunched up his face as he made a very feline sound of irritation at her. “She happens to _love_ my puns.” Sniffing, his sulk returned as he crossed his arms over his chest. Ladybug resisted her own snort, but rolled her eyes when he wasn’t looking. _More like she probably puts up with your puns, but suit yourself Chaton…_

“Anyway, terrible jokes aside, what’s your grand plan for this ring you don’t even know you’ll be buying her yet?”

“I don’t think I want to tell you, you’re just going to be rude about it.” He sniffed, still ignoring her. Or attempting to, at least. It was difficult when she kept shifting beneath him and he could sense her devious expression as her hands rose to attack positions. He found himself staring as her hands rose to form claws, bristling defensively as he hunched away from them.

“ _Chaton!_ ” The wiggling fingers drew closer and he hissed, his hands swatting out to capture hers in a tight grip so she couldn’t tickle his sides. Then she started swinging his hands as if she were dancing with him, and he sighed. She wasn’t nearly as sober as he’d thought she was.

“ _Fine_.” He pouted, but really he cracked more because he really wanted her opinion on his idea, and he knew he’d be too excited to sleep on it if he went home like this. “So I was _thinking_ , _purr_ haps maybe I work some emeralds or peridots into the design? Just a few, not many, or maybe hide a pawprint on the band somewhere? Get it etched along the inside?” He grinned up at her, and she got a wide-eyed look of surprise.

“Chat, that’s...that’s actually a really cute idea.” Untangling their fingers, she tousled his hair and took his face in both hands to squish his cheeks. “I may even have to borrow it if I get married. Sneak a little ladybug charm on the inside of his band.”

“ _If?_ ” He wrinkled his nose in shock, ready to be offended on his Lady’s behalf, but Ladybug just leaned back and laughed.

“Just because I imagined having a handful of children with him _doesn’t_ mean we’ve actually talked about getting married, Chat. It just means that I’d like to marry him and spend the rest of my life with him if he wants to. Don’t go making that grumpy kitty face now, or I’ll start worrying you’ll find out who I am just so you can rough up my boyfriend.” She chuckled, and he grumbled to himself about how he wouldn’t hit him just...maybe talk very sternly to him. Just because his Lady had picked someone else didn’t mean that she still didn’t deserve the absolute best, no matter what she said.

Just like his Marinette. He bit his lip, chewing on it as his mind raced. A simple ring with lots of sparkle, with hidden pawprints that marked her as all his own...okay, maybe Ladybug was right. It _did_ sound more than a bit weird when he thought about it, just a touch creepy. And yet…

No, he’d ask Marinette what she thought about the future, just. Casually. Somehow find a way to bring it up when her parents weren’t around because he had a sneaking suspicion that if he breathed anything about maybe wanting to get married to her around her parents or even _Alya_ then things would spiral well out of his control and he just wasn’t ready for that much drama. It was too much stress and he already had a thesis and four projects he still needed to work on, and he knew Marinette was in the middle of creating another line, and...right. Ladybug was right, he just needed to find a good time and be patient.

Even if the patience was the hard part.

* * *

It was almost at their year and a half mark and Marinette Dupain-Cheng was on the verge of losing her mind.

Eighteen months of dating the most attractive man on the face of the earth and she hadn’t gotten any farther than hand holding and a few stolen kisses and hasty touches because the entirety of the universe was conspiring to keep her from getting what she wanted. If it wasn’t her parents, it was their jobs, or school, or akuma attacks, or even their friends (which Alya was still apologizing for until Marinette stopped being irritated every time she remembered a perfect date ruined), and she was done. Adrien was the sweetest, kindest, _most oblivious boy on the planet_ and Marinette was past dropping subtle hints. Well beyond flirting and cute outfits to attract his attention. Setting a mood in the apartment was not working either, so desperate times called for desperate measures. If Adrien didn’t get _The Hint_ this time, she was going to break his gorgeous neck.

Okay no, no she wasn’t, but she was going to break _something_.

The bad day she’d had was not helping matters and she knew it. She was angry for a million different reasons and it left her short-tempered and lightning-fast with a bad attitude, but every time he walked past in _that_ pair of trousers she was certain she was going to blow a whole set of gaskets. He was rereading a paper for class, red pen in one hand and his sleeves shoved up to his elbows as he paced from the bedroom to the kitchen with the air of someone who was looking for something but kept forgetting what it was, even as he stopped to correct something and write a few more notes in the margins. Normally she’d found this process really charming, but not today. His papers did need to be done, but the longer she watched him, the more tense she felt, her foot jiggling hard enough that she felt both the coffee table and the couch shifting with the force of her jitters.

After four more of his circuits from one doorway to the other, Marinette felt something inside her snap.

“Adrien?” His name sounded deceptively sweet, freezing him mid-stride as he glanced her way. His eyes were wide in surprise, pen halfway to his mouth as he glanced around as if she might possibly be calling someone else. Oh, boy. What was she plotting in that lovely mind of hers? She sighed, running her hands over her thighs before patting the couch cushion next to her in an open invitation. “You’ve been working on your papers all morning, don’t you think you might need a break?” Marinette tried to tip her head with an alluring smile, but it seemed to have little effect. His pen rapped against his chin as he scowled at his paper with a heavy sigh, and soon he was raking his fingers through the hair on the back of his neck.

“I know, Mari, I’m sorry. I think I almost have it though, but I’m still stuck trying to make it sound cohesive.” He sounded so much like a kicked puppy she could have sworn she saw a drooping tail to go with his (stupidly attractive) slumped shoulders, but she wasn’t having any of it. Slapping her hands down on the cushions next to her, she let out a sigh as she pushed herself to the feet. Crossing the room with her hands clasped behind her back, she focused on maximizing the sway in her hips as she closed in on him. She was even wearing one of his favorite skirts, but his gaze didn’t even flicker from the paragraph he was reading. _Tikki give me strength...no. No. Patience. If I ask for strength I’m going to do something I’ll regret._ Taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she gently wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled against his arm in another bid for attention. It was easy to make it seem like she was looking at his paper, even if she’d already proofread it twice that day, but she let her fingers wander over his side, tracing little circle shapes in the soft fabric of his shirt.

“Maybe a tiny break, give yourself some time to recharge?” Her brows arched hopefully as she snuggled against him, putting on the best pout she had. Marinette felt ridiculous, but she’d had to _beg_ Alya for help getting Adrien’s attention in a more-than-hand-holding sort of way. It wasn’t fair that he could walk around looking like he’d escaped an exhibition at an art museum with his hair and eyelashes still dusted with gold and _she_ was the only one suffering. It wasn’t fair! So she hugged him closer, slowly molding herself against his body as her hands trailed over his side.

“Mmmh, maybe, I guess it’s been a while since I got a drink or something. I--” he paused, noticing the look on her face. “Are you feeling alright? You’re making a really silly face.” He chuckled, rubbing the crease between her eyebrows with his thumb and looking so sweet and caring and perfect and Marinette felt something in her face twitch.

That was _it_.

The sweet doe-eyed, dewy pout look was replaced with one that could blister solid steel and Adrien had no idea what to do with the sudden reversal of her attitude. His papers were gently plucked from his hand, pen included, and set down on the counter with a surprising amount of gentleness. Then the fury was focused on her boyfriend and he had yet to recover enough to realize he should have run. Better yet, jumped out the nearest window.

Without even stooping to brace herself, Marinette hoisted her boyfriend off the floor in a single smooth motion born of nearly eight full years of hero work. He towered over her even in his stocking feet and was built of solid muscle, but she lifted him into her arms like he was nothing. Marinette could hear his heartbeat stutter and start to pound, but she spun on her heel, lifted him higher, and _threw_ him at the couch as Adrien let out a sound that was somewhere between a shocked shriek and a garbled shout. The couch creaked and grunted as the force of his impact pushed it back a couple inches. Somehow she managed not to break either him or the furniture, though he’d apparently tried to tuck himself into a ball for a safe landing and ended up sprawled with his legs half over the back of the couch and one arm and his head almost off the seat cushions. He lay there, staring at her with a mixture of fear and adoration, gasping for air as he watched her close in on him like a cat stalking its prey. He did his best to shrink into the cushions to escape her glare, but he made no move to flee. In fact, the longer he lay there, the more his eyes began to sparkle, his stunned expression soon turning into one of wide-eyed awe.

“Oh my God, Mari...” He took a deep, shuddering breath, then clapped his hands around one of hers, tugging it to his chest and mentally throwing her completely off balance. “Marry me.”

There was a long moment of stunned silence before Marinette’s face and shoulders turned a blinding shade of red and she let out a startled shriek, snatching one of the throw pillows off the couch and nearly smothering him with it in her embarrassment.

* * *

The rest of the week, Chat Noir was practically useless for all intents and purposes. He spent every patrol with a dazed expression on his face and a dreamy smile tugging at his lips, and absolutely no prodding from Ladybug got her any answers. Whatever happened, he refused to speak of it, though she did catch him sighing heavily whenever he was left to his own devices, his smile growing wider as he bit his lip. In the end, she gave up trying to bother him, shaking her head and nudging him to move on to their next patrol point and threatening to carry him if he didn’t move in time. In the end, she ended up sending him home early, where he curled up in bed and hugged his pillows close, grinning so hard into his pillows that his face hurt.

He had the best girlfriend _ever_ , and he couldn’t wait to order her rings at the jeweler appointment next week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do not ever throw your significant others at furniture, no matter how often Ladybug tosses Chat around like a sack of potatoes. Marinette YEETing Adrien is for comedic purposes and should not be attempted at home, I would cry. Pls do not do the thing.


	3. Sweet Dreams Are Made of These

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Adrien finally brings himself to make the plunge, it's go big or go home, and it turns out he makes more than one person's dream come true!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gooooood evening, starshines~! It's team Ziri and LaterDays bringing you the biggest scoop of hot fluff this side of a sugar floss machine! Things are starting to pick up for our heroes, will they ever figure out what's going on? Will anyone ever notice that Chat and Ladybug suspiciously share the same schedule on date nights?! Will the tension ever cease! Nobody's making it out of here with their sanity intact...or _are we?_ Stay tuned until next time!
> 
> And as always, please enjoy~! If you missed out on the spicy hot excerpt from last chapter, please check out _On Night's Wings, Coccinelle!_ That is, after all, where all the juicy bits that are inappropriate for the fic proper end up.

Adrien’s heart was pounding as they took the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower. So far, the day had gone perfectly, and a part of him was just praying that his bad luck didn’t rear its ugly head. He’d told Ladybug when he ordered the rings, and she’d been proud of him. The smile on her face as she’d wished him luck was buoying him and his thumb rubbed across the lucky string of beads tucked safely in his coat pocket. He could do this, he was Chat Noir, he’d pulled off the entire evening like a five star magician and he _wasn’t going to blow this_.

Even if every time he looked down at the girl tucked against his side his heart tried to beat its way out of his chest. She looked stunning, she always did, but tonight there was something about Marinette that was beyond the cute freckles or the stunning curve of her heart-shaped face. The lights made her look ethereal, and it took everything in him not to kiss her and never stop. They’d spent the afternoon on an adventure looking for Andre’s ice cream cart, running through the streets and laughing as they ended up playing a game of tag as they darted through crowds and around trees, and Adrien recalled a particularly breathtaking moment as Marinette had _vaulted a wall_ to chase after him. Admittedly it was a _low_ wall, but the flash of thigh he’d caught as she’d swung her legs over to drop to the stairs below had made his mouth go dry. How had he been graced with knowing two of the most perfect women in Paris, and ended up _dating_ one of them? He had no idea.

As much as it would have wounded his pride otherwise, he hadn’t minded that she had racked up the most victories in their game of tag by the time they found Andre, laughing breathlessly as they waved to him and ordered their ice cream. Adrien had heard the story of how Tom and Sabine had proposed, and he couldn’t help but think of it as he and Marinette had sat on the steps of Trocadèro with the Eiffel Tower ahead of them. Luckily he’d planned for the possibility of the search for Andre to take up most of the evening, so they’d had plenty of time for him to make a reservation at a restaurant she loved and take their time eating.

Dinner had been playful and relaxed, even if they’d almost gotten in trouble because _someone_ that definitely was not him had tossed a ravioli at their date and nearly caused a food battle. Nearly. Luckily none of the other patrons had seen it but it had been a _very_ close call when a server had cleared their throat rather pointedly as he asked if they were enjoying their meal. Embarrassed, they’d both busied themselves with their plates or their wine glasses and dissolved into giggles the moment they’d been left to themselves again.

Which had eventually led them to their final destination, as Adrien was both unbearably nervous and more excited than he’d been in his life. He _might_ have been regretting the wine, but brushing his thumb across Marinette’s knuckles soothed his jangling nerves as he took a deep breath and blew it out. A glance at his phone and he felt a little better. Plenty of time.

“I still can’t believe you somehow got them to let us up here after visiting hours.” Marinette was biting her lip, but he knew she was grinning even as she fidgeted with the hem of her dress. Her mind-blowingly gorgeous dress that he knew she’d made herself because he’d been with her when she bought the fabric. Tearing his gaze away from how the dress hugged her figure in all the best ways, he shrugged casually, a playful smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He could have purred he was so pleased with himself.

“Well, there are a _few_ nice things about being an Agreste, I suppose.” His nonchalant attitude startled a laugh out of her, and he felt his heart swell in pride. There weren’t very many reasons to be so pleased about using his family name to get what he wanted, but this time was a perfectly acceptable exception to the rule he tried to stick to. ‘ _Don’t be a rich jerk_ ’ was getting bent only a tiny bit, and only for a last-minute reservation in one of the top restaurants in the city and a trip to the Eiffel Tower where he knew they’d be alone. He didn’t want this moment ruined by tourists or paparazzi. He had a feeling if someone did he’d lose his head and that was not the sort of note he wanted to end the day on.

“Adrien, that’s awful!” She laughed, but the delight in her voice reminded him that she didn’t mean it, and it warmed him from his head to his toes. It was a _really_ good thing he couldn’t purr at the moment, because he’d have outed himself ten times over in just a heartbeat by how she tucked her face against his side and squeezed him tighter. Indulging himself, he planted a kiss on the top of her head, breathing in the sweet smell of her shampoo and the lingering scent of the bakery that always clung to her hair. He didn’t want the moment to end, but the elevator was slowing and he knew that the big moment was coming as the clock ticked ever closer to midnight.

“Awful, maybe, but you can’t say it isn’t worth it.” Grinning, he took her hands and led her out onto the platform, leading her to the rails where they had the best view of Paris after dark. True, it wasn’t _exactly_ his and Ladybug’s preferred spot, but it was as close as they could get without climbing the maintenance ladders, and he didn’t want to risk it. So instead he grinned, the wind pulling at his hair and a familiar thrill rushing through him as he held her close. “I mean, how often do you get a view like this?”

He thought she’d like it, but he hadn’t been ready for the way the lights of Paris had made her eyes shine, or the way she leaned into the breeze as if ready to take flight. Seeing her soak up the horizon with a smile left him speechless, and he barely realized when she pulled him closer, already leaning in to meet her as she rose onto her toes to kiss him.

“Once in a lifetime,” she smiled against his lips, pressing another kiss to the corner of his mouth and he wanted to never let her go. “Thank you, Adrien.” Her voice was warm and honeyed, full of promises and secrets and his heart was pounding as he let her pull him down for proper kisses. Being with her was dizzying, warmth pooling in his fingertips and chest until he had to bite back a groan or risk ruining the moment. The worst part was pulling a hand away from her hip to try and fish his phone blindly out of his pocket, checking the time over her shoulder before having to drag himself away. He hated that part, but he at least stole one last kiss, dragging his teeth across her lower lip and tucking the way her breath caught in a cute little sound of desire away for later. Hopefully later. No, no, he wasn’t going to think about it.

The lights of the tower flashed on around them, and it was show time. All the years of putting on his mask had prepared him for this, as he peeled himself away from her to sink down on one knee. Tonight he didn’t need candles and roses and pillows, at least not yet. Tonight he had all the lights of Paris as he watched her eyes go wide when he traded his phone for a small, white leather-covered box that he kept hidden in his palm. Taking her delicate fingers in his, he held her gaze as he steadied himself. He had five minutes.

“Marinette,” he smiled, and there was a flash of a dozen different emotions on her face as her other hand flew to her mouth, and he didn’t even get a chance to start the speech he’d been preparing for weeks because suddenly she was nearly knocking him to the platform floor and crying in excitement.

“Mari, you didn’t even let me finish!” He laughed, trying to get a hold on her without losing his grip on her ring box or taking another spill. She was all jitters and flapping hands and he was so glad she’d worn her waterproof mascara or they’d both have makeup stains on everything they wore.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I just. Is this _really_ happening? Are you--” she stopped when she saw the box, fanning her face with both hands and trying to remember to breathe, but she was already nodding and making the cutest little embarrassed sobbing noises and even though he knew she was an ugly crier she’d never looked prettier to him. “Yes! Yes, oh my God! Adrien, _yes_!” Even though she couldn’t take the ring because she was fumbling with her purse trying to pull out tissues, and Adrien waited patiently until she’d blotted her eyes, content for the moment to simply hold her and rub her back. When she’d finally gulped down the last of her overjoyed tears, she flapped her hands at him, almost too excited to speak. He couldn’t help but laugh, knowing her impatient grabby hands anywhere.

“All right, all right! But you’ve got to hold still or I won’t be able to put it on.” That threat was enough for her to get her nerves under control, but he’d be lying if he’d told anyone that she was the only one with trembling fingers. Even in just the lights of the tower, the ring was dazzlingly bright, the slim band set with a single main stone and a few vivid, tiny spring-green peridot gems tucked under its edge, while the rest was wound with tiny diamonds that were designed to catch as much light as possible. In the day it would be blindingly bright, just like her, while the pawprints etched on the inside of the band hugged her skin protectively. Even if she never found them, he knew they were there, and that was what mattered.

They sat there in a tangle of limbs, grinning and laughing and kissing each other until long after the lights of the Eiffel Tower had dimmed again, and Adrien couldn’t have been happier.

* * *

“Oh my God, girl! Let me see that thing!” Alya nearly snatched Marinette’s hand, leaning forward to see, but Marinette beat her to it by nearly shoving her hand in her face. To say that she was still nearly screaming in excitement was an understatement. It had been impossible to hold still ever since she’d been taken to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and she’d barely slept because of the overwhelming emotions flooding her. At first Alya had been irritated by the two in the morning phone call that had Marinette shrieking incoherently into her ear, but had forgiven her once she’d managed to get her best friend to calm down enough that she could understand her yelling. And immediately set up the breakfast date at the family bakery. Even Tom and Sabine had been forgiving when Marinette had practically broken down the apartment door in her excitement when she’d stumbled inside in the dead of night. Marinette couldn’t stop moving, her heel jiggling uncontrollably to the point where she was nearly rattling their plates off the table. 

Alya was officially impressed, fawning over the ring that seemed to catch all the light in the room and throw it back in a dazzling display of rainbows. Instantly in journalist mode, Alya snapped a dozen photos of Marinette with the ring, as well as a few dozen more selfies. They may or may not have ended up on her personal blog as well as the rest of her social media.

“ _So_ , how does it feel now that you’ve _officially_ snatched the most eligible bachelor in all of France off the markets and made your teenage wet dreams come true?” Alya’s grin had all of Rena Rouge’s wicked humor in it, and Marinette could have _sworn_ she saw the gleam of fangs. Letting out a startled and rather embarrassed laugh, Marinette slapped her palms against the tabletop.

“ _Alya!_ Shhhh!” Marinette hissed furiously, trying to shush her best friend before she aired all of Marinette’s darkest secrets in her family’s shop in front of the morning rush. Alya was entirely unrepentant, leaning back in her chair with a delighted cackle as Marinette pouted, sinking low in her chair and blushing furiously. Still, she couldn’t sulk for long, her delighted smile breaking through before she could help herself. “It feels _amazing._ ” Her fingers rapped a discordant staccato across the tabletop, mirroring the way her nerves all seemed on edge and her heart still fluttered in her ribs like a bird trying to escape its cage. She didn’t even hear her mother walk over, though she preened as Sabine bent to press a kiss to the top of her head.

“You girls enjoying yourselves?” Sabine’s smile was knowing, and her eyes sparkled with fond amusement. Alya returned her smile with a broad grin, raising her coffee cup in a toast.

“More than usual, Mme Cheng! I won’t lie, I’d be jealous if I didn’t have my own ring already.” Alya teased, giving Marinette’s toes a playful kick under the table just to watch Marinette sputter. “It’s like watching her get her Christmas and birthday presents all at once, I’d have killed her if she hadn’t called me. No offense.” She chuckled, taking a sip of her expresso.

“Don’t worry, Alya. I would have let you.” Sabine smirked, chuckling softly at Marinette’s squeak of protest. “Let me know if you want anything else to eat, dear. And Marinette? Do try to eat some more, you’ve barely touched your food.” Giving Marinette a parting squeeze, she waved to Alya and returned to the kitchen to help Tom again.

“Sooooo,” Alya leaned forward, a wide grin splitting her face. “I’m thinking it’s time for a celebratory shopping trip!”

“Alya, with what money?” Marinette shot her parents a nervous glance as she hissed, giving her best friend a pointed stare. All the money she’d had saved up so far was going towards school and supplies she needed. She hadn’t been able to afford splurging on anything more than fabric in years, and half of that had been less splurging and more vital necessities.

“Girl, this is your _engagement party_ to the love of your _life!_ My treat.” Alya huffed, not taking no for an answer as she held up a hand to stymie the flow of Marinette’s screeched protests. “Besides, we’ve got to start planning for your _big day_ , right?” That staggered Marinette into silence, her eyes going wide when the words sank in.

“I need to design my dress.” The words sounded far away, her eyes going wide. “Alya, _I have to design our dresses!_ ” Excitement flooded through her and her cheeks flushed in excitement, and Alya nodded, matching her grin.

“See, girl! I knew you’d come around! Finish eating and we’ll go!” Alya waved at her, making her stay in her seat until her food was gone before letting Marinette fly out of her chair to run upstairs for her bag and sketchbook.

The rest of the day disappeared in a rush of excitement, laughter and a flurry of sketches between shops and spa treatments. Alya had apparently been waiting for the day Marinette called with the news, dragging Marinette in to get a fresh manicure and pedicure before carting her off for a massage. By the time they ended up back at Alya’s place, Marinette was a happy puddle of exhaustion, her nervous excitement having finally worn her down as they’d relaxed with their favorite takeout and binge watching their favorite show. Smiling down at her best girl as Marinette snored softly against her shoulder, Alya snapped a quick picture of her before texting it to Adrien.

_Congrats, sunshine! You broke her, I’m so proud_ ♥

* * *

Adrien bit his lip as he smiled at his phone, Alya had managed to perfectly capture Marinette’s sleeping face, and he could just make out the faint dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Nino just watched his best friend and tried to stifle his snort before he gave Adrien’s shoulder a playful shove.

“You’ve got it _bad_ , man.” He did not, however, hide his laugh. Adrien had the grace to look sheepish, ducking his head and sliding his phone back into his pocket. It was true, Alya had been sending them secret updates on her and Marinette’s whirlwind adventures that day, and he’d spent most of it staring fondly at the photos she’d happily sent him that _weren’t_ on her blogs. All of which were going straight into his collection of Marinette photos he kept on his computer. How Nino was putting up with him today, he wasn’t sure, but he was incredibly grateful as he took another swig from his drink.

Nino had been woken up by Marinette’s late night call to Alya, more because of the way both of them had dissolved into enthusiastic yelling rather than the ringing itself. It was like putting one of them in an echo chamber, when one was ramped up it escalated until no one was safe, but this was one of the rare moments where Nino had been fully prepared to forgive them for the excited screaming he could hear through the closed bathroom door even though Alya hadn’t had Marinette on speaker.

_Mad props on the successful date. Tell me about it tomorrow when normal people are awake._

Adrien had gotten the text near two in the morning but hadn’t seen it until nearly ten. His nerves had caught up with him and the excitement from the day had worn him out more than an akuma battle, and he’d barely had time to change out of his clothes before he’d fallen face-first into bed. The fact that he could still smell faint traces of Marinette’s perfume on his skin had him grinning into his pillow as sleep claimed him.

When he’d finally rejoined the land of the living, he’d gone through his morning in a pleasant daze, calling Nino as he got cleaned up. He hadn’t _really_ wanted to get dressed, content to spend the day in a cloud of happiness and the realization that last night had _actually_ happened, and Marinette had _really_ said yes, because Alya was starting to blow up his phone with a constant stream of excited texts and photos that made his face hurt from how hard he grinned. Nino wasn’t the type to drag him out all over town, but he did make plans for dinner and a beer that Adrien was more than happy to take him up on.

“Is it really that obvious?” Adrien chuckled, raking his fingers through his hair and knowing the answer before Nino even opened his mouth. In fact, the look Nino was giving him over the edge of his glasses spoke volumes all on his own, and Adrien was quick to hide behind his drink as his grin turned apologetic.

“Dude, you’re my best bro, but you’ve kinda been a basket case ever since you got your boxers in a twist over her and decided she was the love of your life.” Nino shook his head, taking another bite of his salad. “I recall _several_ nights I had to listen to you rehearse your speech, but it’s probably for the best that you didn’t get a chance to say it until after she took the ring. It was _super_ corny, my dude.” The smile on his face made it obvious he was gently poking fun, but Adrien couldn’t help but pout.

“It was _romantic,_ okay? She thought it was cute.” He was tempted to claim he’d never talk to Nino again over the teasing, but decided against it. Adrien could still feel how flushed his cheeks were at the way Marinette had giggled over his planned speech once she’d finally calmed down enough to let him tell her what he’d wanted to say. She’d agreed with Nino, and said it had been very corny, but she’d loved it anyway. At least she must have, because while she’d been giggling as she teased him for it, she’d practically kissed his face off right afterwards. Which left him spacing out across from Nino until his friend cleared his throat to bring him back to the present.

“I didn’t say it wasn’t, but it’s obvious you two were practically made for each other. I’m glad, Marinette’s been dying to go out with you for years.” Nino’s casual comment nearly had Adrien choking on his drink, he’d almost forgotten the incident in collège with all his photos in her room. Even Marinette had finally confessed to having loved him since then, but there was something about the way Nino said it that made Adrien feel personally attacked for taking so long to notice.

“Nino, if you manage to kill me before I can marry Marinette, I don’t think she’ll be happy.” He wheezed into a napkin as he reached for a glass of water, while his friend just scoffed.

“Adrien, I’m going to drag you for it as long as I can. I lost money on how long it took you to finally ask her out _and_ propose.”

“You _what_!” Adrien didn’t realize he’d nearly shouted that until conversation died around them, and he sank into his seat in embarrassment. He _definitely_ felt called out, now.

* * *

“Buginette, my friends are picking on me!” He whined, draping himself across her smaller frame like he’d been deboned. Somehow she still stood, likely it was all the years of practice bracing herself to take his weight when he dramatically sagged. With a sigh he could feel, she reached up and pat him between his pointed ears.

“Poor minou, what are they bullying you for this time?” He chose to ignore the way she sounded like she was getting ready to giggle, instead finding a more comfortable way to rest his cheek on her head while he sulked.

“They were betting money on how long I’d last before I proposed to my girlfriend.” Chat knew he sounded like a petulant kid but he was still feeling a little sore over it.

“Awww, chaton!” And there was the giggle, he let out a grumbling sigh and let more of his weight sink onto his partner in retaliation. At least she started scratching behind his cat ears out of apology. “Poor thing, how long did they think you’d make it before you couldn’t help yourself anymore?”

“My best friend thought I’d spend three weeks overplanning everything and being a nervous wreck before I would even attempt it. His girlfriend said I wouldn’t last three days once the ring came in.” He sniffed, his tail flicking about his ankles. Ladybug’s hand pat his back sympathetically, and he felt her shift a little beneath him as she tried to look up at him.

“So, how long _did_ it take you?” Her smile was obvious in her tone of voice, but he suddenly felt embarrassed, his tail twitching as his lips twisted and he buried his nose in her hair.

“....I proposed the day the ring was delivered to the store.” His face burned at the sound of Ladybug’s delighted laughter echoing out across the rooftops around them, and even his despairing cry of her name didn’t manage to stifle her giggles.

“Sorry, sorry, that’s just. That’s so cute and so _you_ , chaton.” She was still giggling as she hugged him in apology, but he was grumbling and trying to escape her grasp at the sudden but inevitable betrayal. It took a combined effort of cuddling and apologetic hair ruffling before he gave up trying to escape her grip, and he took the chance to lift her off her feet and swing her around just to hear her shriek with laughter. Revenge was sweet as he danced close to the edge of the rooftop, her laughter turning to sharp squeals before he spun away again. The paw pads on his boots gave him surprisingly excellent traction, and his feet rarely failed him when he was so high up. Which meant it was very easy to threaten Ladybug with taking them both over the edge without actually being in danger of doing it. Not that she knew that, but the thrill of danger was one they both danced with every time they donned their suits.

“So, now that you’re done _mocking me_ like a _horrible friend_ , you have to tell me the details of your recent adventures with Monsieur What’s-his-face.” He smirked, releasing her only to tousle her hair so much that it looked like she’d just tumbled out of bed. Ladybug grabbed his hands to protect herself only too late, but the dreamy smile that erupted in place of her irritated nose-wrinkle was worth it. With a sigh as her grin grew to face-splitting degrees, she swung his arms as if ready to sweep him off in a dance.

“It’s been _amazing_ , Chat. He proposed at the _Eiffel Tower_.” This time she did begin dancing, releasing one of his hands and spinning under his arm and traipsing away. He let out a soft laugh and pulled her back, watching her twirl with a chuckle as they began a lighthearted waltz across the rooftop.

“You don’t _say?_ Tell me more, I don’t think I can see how in love you are with him just yet.” He grinned, finding her energy infectious as he lifted her over a chimney stack and they skipped up an incline to leap across a gap between buildings and bounded away. It wasn’t unlike their usual games of tag, but there was something different. Like they’d both grown wings as the wind seemed to lift them higher than usual, the autumn breeze leaving a shimmer around them as they laughed and danced around one another, as if they weren’t on the lookout for new villains. It was as if, for one day, they forgot they were at war and that the city wasn’t always under siege. For one evening they were simply two friends caught up in their own joy and racing across Paris. Tomorrow could deliver all of the worries and troubles it wanted, but for this one night they were free and overflowing, and their laughter echoed until they were breathless and tumbling into each other. Gripping each other tight, they steadied themselves on the highest rooftop across from Parc Monceau, and Chat Noir gave Ladybug a gentle nudge.

“Let’s go for a walk and then call it a night, Bug.” He grinned, offering a clawed hand and nodding towards the park proper. With the moonlight illuminating her eyes, she gave him a wide grin, her hand slipping easily into his as they stole through the trees, chuckling to themselves like a pair of teenagers ditching class. As they strolled the walkways, his smile never left his face, one arm draped casually across Ladybug’s shoulders with the ease of nearly ten years of iron-clad friendship. His heart felt so full that it ached, and for a moment all he could think of was how much he’d like to take this very walk with Marinette. He had a feeling she’d love the sight of the trees and statues washed in the colors of moonlight.

Little did he know that Ladybug was thinking along similar lines, though her thoughts strayed to stolen kisses beneath the trees. It was a long time before they parted ways with a hug goodnight and playful swatting, each of them having fantastic ideas for their next day out with their respective significant other.


	4. Pre-Nup Jitterbug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After two years of hard work, the wedding date is on the horizon for Marinette and Adrien, but the pressure is starting to chip away at the blushing bride's sanity and drastic measures need to be taken. Either that or Ladybug is going to lose her mind and pop an akuma with her bare hands, and Chat Noir isn't entirely certain he's ready to see that happen! Luckily for them, they have the best backup team in all of Paris. After all, what are best friends for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gooooooood evening, starshines! Once again this is ZiriO and LaterDays signing on and we're back on our nonsense with even MORE hijinks of our fair and lovely hero squad! Soon the wedding bells will be ringing, but before we get to that, I'm going to have to point out that our wobbly timeline jumping has begun! So, without further ado, to make this chapter and the next make the _most_ amount of sense, I'm going to slide you all over to LaterDays's newest contribution to the series.
> 
> [That Old Wedding Saying](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15636480) takes place throughout this chapter, skipping throughout the span of time between the last chapter and the coming chapter. Please enjoy!
> 
> With that said and read, stay tuned until next time for the exciting wedding adventures! Ziri out!

It took her two years to finish the dresses. So much time went into making sure the designs were nothing short of perfect, then finding the right fabric, trim, and all the other essentials only to realize it was outside her budget. She saved up by putting herself on as much of an austere budget as she could manage. She threw herself into working double time on commissions around her job, akuma attacks, and making the dresses she was determined to fund herself. She even refused financial assistance from her parents because she wanted it to be perfect and she wasn’t about to go begging them for more help when they were already doing so much to make her wedding turn out just perfect. Adrien’s first - and last - offer to help pay for materials was met by a threatening wave of a pin in her hand, and a promise that she’d bite him, and not in a way he’d find fun.

The suits were going to be taken care of by Gabriel Agreste, which had first startled her, but he’d taken a look at her dress designs and had nearly given her a heart attack when he’d complimented her use of both sides of her family heritage in the designs. Knowing that the one of the best fashion designer in Paris considered her work to be solid and worth a walk on a runway had left her feeling faint, but it had also made her more determined. She wouldn’t cut corners, she’d take her time.

But taking time meant there was more room for disaster to strike when you were trying to cut pattern pieces. Marinette was ready to murder Papillon by whatever means she could think of if he sent _one more akuma_ out while she was trying to finish Alya’s dress. It had been bad enough struggling through her own, especially since the reception dress had insane amounts of embroidery required, but somehow she’d managed. Alya’s dress was a flirty cocktail-length number that she’d be able to wear anytime, as Marinette did her best to accentuate her curves and flatter Alya’s figure and skin tone. To be fair it was also _heavily_ inspired by Rena Rouge’s latest upgrade to her suit, fitting for an autumn wedding and pairing surprisingly well with Chloe’s dress which would be in shades of buttery yellow to match the other groomsman, with a few green accents to tie her with Adrien and Best Man Nino’s green theme. So many details she needed to keep in mind, but every single time she thought she’d figured it out, the inevitable would strike.

Papillon was doing this on _purpose_ , and if she ever found the villainous cretin she’d choke the life out of him with her bare hands. A ridiculous concept, she knew, but oh so very tempting in the heat of the moment when she was internally screaming at another seam that would need to be ripped out when the akuma alert blared from her phone.

* * *

“Buginette, are you doing all right?” Chat watched his partner with open concern as she practically tore the akuma from the sky, looking for all the world like she was ready to rip the villain clean in half with her bare hands. For a moment she seemed ready to deny anything being wrong, only to clasp her hands over her face and breathe deeply as the newly cleansed butterfly fluttered away to safety, far from Ladybug’s boiling fury.

“ _No_ , I’m not.” Her hands settled to grip her hips tightly, her foot tapping an angry rhythm. “The wedding’s only a few months away and I can’t get _anything_ done when we keep having to stop for these akuma.” One hand waved in irritation over the city, and Chat regarded her and the recovering skyline with careful silence. Was this one of those times she should talk herself to silence or did she want his opinion? Hmmm…well, he always did live his life on the edge, might as well risk it.

“Ladybug, isn’t the wedding not until the fall?” He could feel his cat ears edge forward as he gnawed his lip hesitantly. The winter frost was just beginning to lift as some early blooms boldly peeked up from the earth, but if he knew anything about either of his fair ladies he knew the wedding date was a tender subject. Marinette was going out of her mind with stress over the dresses, and he’d discovered she was short on the money she needed for the wedding that she adamantly insisted being able to raise herself and not rely on any outside help. The slow creep of their wedding date looming on the horizon had left her in panicked tears on more than one occasion even before they’d reached the year mark until the day. It seemed Ladybug was in no better position than his fiancée, and that worried him deeply. This was supposed to be something to be excited over, not send his Lady on a murderous rampage across the city.

“I _know_ it is, but I just can’t seem to get ahead!” The anger bled out of her in a furious sigh, and Chat Noir quickly stepped forward to pull her into a hug when he heard the telltale warning of tears on the horizon by how her inhale seemed to shudder. Pressing a gentle kiss to the part in her hair, he purred softly, tucking her head beneath his chin as he held her tight for as long as her Miraculous would let them.

“It’ll be alright, milady. I’m sure you’ll have everything you need when the time comes.” He was just sorry he wouldn’t be able to be with her on her special day. They’d already had a tearful talk that had lasted an entire patrol and well until the wee small hours of the next morning about _that_ tender subject. It had left a bitter taste in both their mouths that their weddings would be so close to one another and yet neither of them could attend each other’s weddings. They were each other’s closest friend, and it was just one more thing to add to the growing pile of opportunities and cherished moments that Papillon had snatched out from under them. It was unbearably cruel, and his heart had broken to pieces as he’d held Ladybug through her tears that night when the realization that they’d only be able to share their special days with one another through stories during patrol.

Just like how neither of them could afford to go on a honeymoon with their future spouses. Ladybug was torn just trying to save up for her wedding alone, and the added burden of being unable to leave the city had her shackled with despair and duty. Chat was more free, he had more than enough money to plan elaborate getaways for himself and Marinette, but he couldn’t leave Ladybug behind to fend for herself even though he wasn’t vital to capturing akuma. Or rather, he couldn’t bring himself to do so even when she’d tried to encourage him to go, and he had promised Marinette a quiet few weeks at home in a house he’d yet to tell her he’d bought just for them. She thought they’d be staying at his apartment, but no. He’d found a lovely place with a garden and balconies that would let him steal away to patrol without worries, and enough room for the family she’d said she wanted. It was his wedding gift to her, and he’d already begun to set aside her future craft room supplies, he just hoped she’d like it once he let her see it.

“I just wish we didn’t have to do this, chaton.” Ladybug’s words were muffled by how she had her face buried against him, and he closed his eyes, rocking her gently as her earrings let out the second warning chirp.

“I know, Buginette. I know.” Pulling back, he took her face in both his hands so he could rub the tears of frustration from her cheeks. “It will get better soon, I know it will.” Some of his confidence seemed to bolster her, a shaky smile slowly sliding into place. When he was sure she wouldn’t fall to pieces if he pulled away, he bowed to press a gentle kiss to her forehead.

“Now, I fear it’s time for your dramatic exit, milady. Go before the world sees more of you than they should.” He grinned, all smirking laughter and gleaming fangs, and it wasn’t until after she’d hugged him tight one last time and sprung away that he let his own worry settle deep into his brows. Watching Ladybug struggle with things made him worry about his own wedding, and as he dropped into a vacant alley to release his transformation, he slipped his phone out of his coat pocket, ignoring Plagg’s complaints about the cold as he dialed Marinette’s number on instinct.

“Hey, Mari? No, no, everything’s fine, I wasn’t anywhere near the attacks. I was just calling to see how you’re doing. Do you want me to bring you something to eat? You sound like you need a break.” His frown softened at the sound of her voice, a tender smile spreading across his face as he tugged his favorite blue scarf higher to protect his face from the cold.

“It’s a date then, I’ll be right there.” Adrien felt a flush spread across his cheeks at some of the things Marinette was saying, unable to stop the spring in his step as he hurried along. While he may not be able to help his Lady with her struggles, the least he could do was spoil his princess rotten while she toiled away in her tower. Besides, now that her dresses were done, he was actually allowed to come over and look at the ones she was working on for the other girls in the line, and while he might not have majored in fashion once he’d gone to university, he knew more than enough to help her through her slumps. That and he could bribe her to leave her sewing machine long enough for takeout and cuddles so he could hear about her day, and hopefully kiss away the frustrated tears he’d heard in her voice when she’d answered her phone.

A hero’s work was never done, after all.

* * *

“Girl, if you don’t stop fussing with it, I’m going to slap your hands clean off.” Alya glared, one hand poised to strike if Marinette so much as even _thought_ about touching the trim again. The dress was beyond perfect at this point, and by now Alya was protecting her own sanity by stopping her best friend from micromanaging everything. 

Alya had to have come over for four different fittings at this point because there was always _something_ about the dress that bothered Marinette, and it was time to leave it well enough alone. The hand-dyed ombre fabric was mind-blowingly stunning in Alya’s opinion, and she would have bet her car, her ring, and a year’s pay that Nino would lose his mind the second he saw her in it. It had just enough glitz to attract attention while still being subtle, as Marinette had let Alya’s figure do the talking for her. Everything about the gown was designed to flatter her body without looking obvious that it was made for a wedding. 

Already Alya was planning to get the most out of this dress, finding every excuse under the sun to wear it out in public as soon as the wedding was over. Really, Marinette had outdone herself with these dresses, and now Alya was dying to see how people would react to seeing them wearing the ruffly confections. Or not-so-ruffley in Alya’s case.

“I _know,_ I just feel like there’s something that’s _missing_.” Marinette whined, chewing her lip raw as she spun in her desk chair. Alya watched her with growing worry as she shimmied out of the dress, glad that they were well past the point of her needing to watch for pins. Marinette looked like death warmed over, her eyes red-rimmed and cheeks blotchy from bouts of tears, and her fingers were a torn mess from how often she’d jabbed herself with needles or seam rippers, nevermind a rather nasty welt along one forearm from her hot glue gun from working on an entirely different project. Sliding her hands under her thick mass of curls, Alya flipped her hair free of her flannel collar, and tucked her foxtail necklace back into hiding before Marinette could see the jewelry piece that was at odds with her usual casual wear. Trixx was curled up dozing in her messenger bag last she’d checked, and the fox sprite knew better than to come out when Alya was at Marinette’s.

“How about this. You, me, greasy fast food and a trip to the movies because, girl, you look like you’re going to flip your lid if you’re trapped here another second. Come on.” Alya wouldn’t take no for an answer, gently taking Marinette by the hand and scooping up both their bags as they made for the trap door. Marinette’s pink room seemed so much smaller than it once had, bursting at the seams with dress forms and bolts of fabric. Gone were all the hoarded photos of teenage Adrien, and in their place were photos of their group of friends half-hidden behind pinned-up outfit designs, swatches, location photos, and a dozen other things that were sure signs that Marinette was letting the wedding get to her and it was more than six months away still.

“ _Alya_...” Marinette sounded far too close to tears, and her bespectacled bestie had to close her eyes and take a deep breath as she managed to safely coax her down the stairs with a wave at Marinette’s parents on their way out the door.

“Taking an afternoon off to recharge and relax for once isn’t going to kill you.” Alya smiled, pulling Marinette into a hug so she could wipe the tears of exhaustion from Mari’s face before they could spill over. “When was the last time you even had a good night’s sleep, hmm?” When Marinette went silent with guilt, Alya let out a warning hum that Marinette knew to be a sign that if she didn’t shape up, Alya would call in the big guns. Which meant dealing with an overwhelmingly protective _Adrien_ that would loom until she stopped being a complete disaster and took better care of herself.

Which would also mean it would be nearly impossible to sneak away for patrols or akuma attacks.

The thought had her wilting in Alya’s grip, head bowed as she let Alya tame her fringe and sweep her hair behind her ears. Maybe one afternoon off wouldn’t be _so_ bad. After all, Alya always did say that even _Ladybug_ needed time off, so maybe she could let herself relax for a few hours without being swamped with guilt.

Even if it did mean she had to live with Alya’s heckling later at dinner for falling asleep on her shoulder in the middle of the movie. Her bestie laughing at how Marinette had snored so loud it ruined the big climactic moment while she drooled all over Alya’s shoulder. As she’d hidden behind the restaurant menu and squeaked in embarrassment, she completely forgot to worry about akumas or the last few details on the dresses she needed to fix. By the time she’d made it home and Alya shoved her into bed, Marinette slipped into the gentle warmth of her blankets and was out like a light, her stress and worries left behind for another day.

* * *

“Do you think it’s too much, Plagg?” Adrien muttered, tugging at his waistcoat. The vivid green pocket square stood out in stark contrast against the dark charcoal of his coat, realizing only after the fact that he’d unconsciously ended up having his tuxedo match his super suit in color and silhouette. Even _Nino’s_ suit was almost too close to Carapace’s colors for comfort, but his best friend hadn’t said anything, so perhaps it was fine. Well, actually, now that he thought about it it wasn’t as if Nino could outright say anything to him, since he didn’t know Adrien was Chat Noir. Besides, after having nearly paraded around in the Chat Noir costumes for a variety of photoshoots it was more likely people would say he was simply dressing in homage to his favorite hero than make the connection to his persona and himself. Still, it was a little reassuring to hear the snort of disgust from his jacket pocket where his clothes were hung out of the way.

“I still say you should have just mated with her and called it a day.” The kwami muttered, rolling his eyes at Adrien’s mortified expression.

“ _Plagg!_ ”

“I’m just saying this would’ve been done with years ago and you two wouldn’t be running yourselves ragged with all this nonsense.” There was something about the way Plagg’s face scrunched up and his ears flicked back that made Adrien curious. His kwami had grown more irritable with him over the years as he’d been torn between Ladybug and Marinette, and was now almost downright insufferable as the wedding drew closer. Adrien opened his mouth to say something more, but Plagg disappeared into the depths of his pocket just as Nino pushed his way into the dressing room.

“Adrien my man, you are going to knock that poor girl dead when she sees you.” Nino grinned, clapping Adrien on the shoulder and shaking him out of the puzzling thoughts Plagg’s words had sent him into. With an embarrassed laugh, he ducked his head, swiping his hand over his face to hide the creeping flush to his cheeks.

“Only if seeing her in her dress doesn’t kill me first. Have you even seen it?” He glanced at Nino, his expression almost painfully hopeful, but Nino could only shake his head.

“Nah, apparently Marinette’s got it on tighter lockdown than the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. Only Alya and Mme Cheng know what those gowns look like, and neither one of them are letting out a peep about it. It’s as much a mystery to me as it is to you. Then again, Alya won’t even let me see _her_ dress, she just keeps sending me all these cryptic texts whenever Marinette has her come over for another fitting.” Shaking his head, he took out a water bottle for himself and handed a second to Adrien before he took a long sip.

“If you ask me, I think they’re trying to kill us from the suspense alone, my dude.” With the grim way he said it, Adrien couldn’t help but laugh as he took a drink, then started to peel out of the suit. If it was good enough for Nino and enough to make him feel like he was wearing an extra layer over his Chat Noir suit, Adrien was going to call it there. His father would likely make the final judgement, but for now he decided it was probably best not to spend his evening fretting over it. The wedding was only a few months away, and he needed a night off from worrying over the gritty details and akuma attacks if he was going to make it to the big day without coming to pieces.

* * *

“Okay, what’s the first rule of the party?” Alya held up her hands, pointing to Marinette as if to cue her.

“No stressing out about the wedding?” Her smile was tight and anxious, though it slackened a little as Alya nodded with a pleased hum.

“Mmhmmm, and?”

“To...have fun?” This time Marinette’s smile was far more genuine, and for the first time in a while a trickle of excitement came into her voice without the overwhelming dread that usually masked it.

“ _Exactly!_ ” Alya grabbed her and pushed her into the club, grinning at the bouncer as Marinette gave him a shy wave. The bachelorette party was a night for drinks and dancing in Alya’s opinion, more risque options quickly nixed by both the girls. As fun as a trip to some of the more salacious places in town might have been, Marinette had looked far too uncomfortable at the idea and half the girls in her party weren’t even interested in oogling men with barely-there costumes. Dancing, though? Dancing they could do. So with selfie sticks tucked into purses and their cutest outfits on, Alya had packed them into a cab and found the best club in town as per Nino’s recommendation.

Within a half hour Alya was glad for it, Marinette’s laughter loud enough to be heard over the heavy bass of the music as she nearly stumbled into Alya when she slipped mid-twist. Grabbing her bestie close, they smashed their cheeks together, making the most ridiculous faces they could as they snapped off a few pics before getting back to business making everyone else jealous that Alya had the cutest date in the club. Marinette nearly screamed with laughter and embarrassment when Ayla said it, blushing from collar to hairline as she gave her best friend a playful shove.

“I’m not wrong and you know it!” Alya shouted, nearly bashing her forehead against Marinette’s as the other girl screamed into her hands with embarrassed giggles.

“ _Alya!_ What would Nino say?” Marinette glanced around as if expecting Alya’s boyfriend to appear out of thin air, and Alya simply grinned so hard Marinette could have sworn she saw Rena Rouge’s fangs glittering in the club lights.

“That I’m right, of course! He wouldn’t mind if I borrow you from Adrien for a night.” Alya only laughed harder at Marinette’s despairing cry of her name, wrapping her arms around the tiny designer and holding her up as Marinette sagged against her.

“What would _Adrien_ say?” Marinette groaned, pouting fiercely, only to instantly regret her words as Alya’s eyes practically _sparked_ with mischief.

“Let’s find out!” Alya’s phone was out in an instant, and only years worth of practice kept it safely out of Marinette’s reach as they danced around each other along the edges of the dance floor. Skilled at one-handed texting to the point of being lightning fast, Alya could hear Marinette groan in dismay before she even glanced back at her bestie.

* * *

_I’m stealing your girl for the night, come and get her if you want her back!_ ♥

Adrien snorted into his drink as he read his text, which quickly turned to him choking as Alya attached a photo of her kissing Marinette as sloppily as possible if Marinette’s nose-wrinkle of dismay was any indicator. He could almost _hear_ Mari’s offended screeching, and his coughing chuckles had Nino leaning over to steal back Adrien’s phone. With a low snort of his own, Nino leaned over and looped an arm around Adrien’s shoulder before planting a kiss of his own on the corner of Adrien’s mouth before the model knew what was happening.

The flash of Nino’s camera was blinding, but the picture was worth it in Nino’s mind. Adrien had the startled doe-eyed look, and while Nino’s expression wasn’t _quite_ over the top enough to be called sultry, it was close enough as he texted his girlfriend back.

_Too bad I’m holding him hostage, you’ll just have to elope without us._

“Nino _no_.” Adrien’s groan was ruined by the way he was sputtering with laughter into a napkin, and Nino just grinned as he waited for the swarm of replies from the girls.

“More like Nino _yes_.” He tucked his phone back into his pants and raised his glass in salute, throwing Adrien a saucy wink he’d definitely learned from his girlfriend. Adrien was caught between a pout and a glare, staring at Nino through his shaggy bangs that were slowly beginning to fall out of their carefully styled sweep from the humid heat that the air conditioning couldn’t quite cut through.

“You’ve been spending _way _too much time with Alya.”__

__“Or not enough in my opinion.” Nino grinned, the rim of his glass resting against his lips as he waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Adrien. “Now come on, next round of games and drinks is on me.” Waving a roll of coins under Adrien’s nose, Nino jerked a thumb at the Mecha Strike machine before giving Adrien’s wrist a tug._ _

__“Just so you know, I’m going to _completely destroy you_ for that.” Adrien grinned, pushing up his sleeves to his elbows as he downed the last of his glass and snatched the roll of coins away from Nino as he took his preferred joystick._ _

__“Is that a threat or a promise?” Nino grinned back, the lights of the arcade flashing across his glasses as Adrien scoffed, rolling his shoulders to loosen them as he picked his favorite mech._ _

__“It’s both, of course. Come on Nino, keep up for once.” He could feel his grin turn sly, and if he hadn’t known better he would have mistaken the rumble in his chest for a pleased purr rather than the boosted bass of the game’s music. Besides, he still had to make up for how Nino had wiped the floor with him at the rhythm game earlier, and his competitive streak was only just starting to show._ _

__By the time the arcade was closed, Adrien had more photos of Marinette and Alya kissing than he knew what to do with, and Nino had somehow managed to snap off more embarrassing pictures of him than he’d thought. They were laughing themselves to tears over a shot of Adrien falling off a rail he’d been trying to balance on with one foot claiming cat-like reflexes and balance, though Nino had somehow managed to send a video of Adrien’s startled yelp and graceless wipeout to his girlfriend before he could steal the phone and save his dignity. By the time they’d squeezed into a cab home, Adrien had forgotten his anxieties about the next day, and about the possibilities of an akuma strike. All that mattered was how sore his sides were from laughing and sliding a hand between him and Nino to prevent him from sending one last smooch pic to the girls just to get a rise out of them._ _

__Now all he had to do was make sure he actually slept that night, and everything would be perfect._ _


	5. Wedding Bell Chimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After years of waiting and akuma battles that loomed on the horizon, threatening to ruin their plans, Chat Noir and Ladybug are about to take their biggest leaps yet... as civilians.
> 
> The question is, will Adrien be able to contain his excitement, and will Marinette be able to overcome her wedding day jitters?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again it's ZiriO and LaterDays and we're coming to you now with the moment you've all been waiting for, the wedding chapter has arrived~! I won't lie, I've been waiting so long to post this, so as always, we hope you enjoy, and we'll see you next time!
> 
> Also please look forward to the spicy extra scene that will be appearing sometime before next week in On Night's Wings! But for now, please enjoy!

“Adrien, dude, she’ll be here in a few minutes, don’t _fidget_.” Nino had to physically take Adrien by the shoulders and steer him back into place, but Adrien was nearly squirming with the need to lean out and peer through the floral archway to where Marinette would be walking up the greenway to them. He could barely contain himself, he wanted to race across rooftops or climb the Eiffel Tower, he wanted to feel the weightlessness of throwing himself off the highest peak and leaping into nothingness. His whole body _itched_ with the desire to run and be free, to hunt her down and lift Marinette into his arms and fly off through the Parisian sky with her arms around him. The fact that he couldn’t even _after_ they were married stuck like a shattered fishbone in the roof of his mouth. After all these years he was _dying_ to tell her, to show her all his favorite places, to let her know he was the goofy cat that had graced her balcony and tried to impress her all those times. Yet Papillon was still a threat, and secrets still needed to be kept, so he couldn’t even if it twisted his stomach into knots with how badly he wanted to give her all of himself. Thumbing the well-worn string of beads in his pocket to take his mind off things, he took a deep breath and let it go, feeling Nino’s reassuring squeeze before his best man let his hand fall. Chloe simply tsked and tutted from Nino’s other side, flicking a delicate coil of golden hair over her shoulder.

“ _Honestly_ , Adrikins. If you don’t calm down soon you’re going to absolutely ruin that suit, and then what will you do?” She rolled her eyes, slapping both his and Nino’s hands out of the way as she ran her hands over Adrien’s tux to straighten it where his fussing had tugged it out of place. “You can’t go breaking out in a gross sweat and wrinkling your suit on the most important day of your life like some sort of filthy _peasant_.” Quirking her lips into a smirk, she flicked a stray speck of dust from his shoulder before stepping back into line.

“Thanks, Chlo.” He chuckled, knowing that Chloe’s words were teasing rather than the scathing quips they would have been ten years ago. He wasn’t entirely sure what had made such drastic changes in her life, but he was glad they’d happened. Especially since it had allowed Marinette and Chloe to be on relatively good terms by the time he’d asked Chloe to be in his line. While she might have had a bad phase that had lasted a good deal of her life, she’d also been his very first friend, and he wouldn’t have been who he was if she hadn’t been a part of his life. If it hadn’t been for her, he wouldn’t have tried so hard to go to public school, and he wouldn’t have met Nino _or_ Marinette. He wasn’t certain he wanted to know what his life would have been like without either of them.

The music shifted from idle tunes to the song Marinette had picked just for her entrance, and he must have practically leapt out of his skin as Nino’s hand suddenly gripped the back of his coat tight to keep him in place. He couldn’t help it, he couldn’t stand still, it took every ounce of willpower to keep himself from reaching out or bounding down the aisle to meet her. Tom Dupain towered over everyone, looking like he was on the verge of tears himself as he rounded the corner, and Adrien felt as if the very air was snatched from his lungs.

He didn’t need to see beneath the veil of delicate lace to know he was looking at the most beautiful woman in the world. The beads in his hand made his palm ache as he clutched them tighter, biting his lip as the sunlight caught the embroidery of her gown and made it glow. It was a confection of white and pale gold, styled after a more traditional qipao until it flared out into a sweeping gown. Dragons and phoenixes wove along the silk panels, and every time she took a step they seemed ready to take flight. He refused to cry, lifting his fist to his mouth as he watched her and only lowering it to tuck the lucky charm into his pocket before he stepped forward to take her hand. Their eyes met as she tore her gaze away from her father, and Adrien could have sworn the world stopped around them, her hand already halfway to his lips before he remembered how to smile.

“I never thought I’d get to marry an actual princess.” He smiled, brushing his lips across her knuckles, and he couldn’t help but grin at the way her cheeks flushed and her breath caught. Turning back to the altar, he drew her close, and for the life of him he barely remembered how the rest of the ceremony went. Once her veil was lifted he was lost in her eyes, and the whole world collapsed until the only thing left was her smile and the sweep of her bangs across her forehead, the glitter of her ring on her finger and the sparkle of a very familiar bracelet on her wrist. Somehow he managed to say his vows, hers washing over him and enveloping him in a bracing warmth that flushed his cheeks to match her own, and finally.

 _Finally_.

He was hers. No one could take her from him. Then, heart thudding heavily against his ribs, he gently pulled her closer and lifted her off her feet so he could kiss her, her arms wrapped tight around his shoulders and her laughter muffled by their lips. He didn’t care what anyone thought then, grinning fit to split his face as he spun her just to hear her shriek of delight. Papillon could have unleashed a thousand akumas and he would have struck them down with his bare hands, and he set her back on her feet like she was spun glass with another kiss. When he pulled back she was grinning as much as he was, laughter bubbling out of them as he bit his lip and wove his fingers through hers before practically racing down the aisle. Marinette hiked up her skirt and ran with him, ducking her head as they laughed until their sides ached and they were far enough away that no one would see them fall against each other as they gasped for air. Foreheads pressed together and grinning until their faces were sore, Adrien felt as if his heart was full to bursting.

* * *

If he’d thought she looked lovely in her wedding gown, he hadn’t been prepared for her reception outfit. While the wedding dress had made her look like a gilded princess, her reception dress was red and gold and made his chest tight in entirely new ways. The way she’d glance at him across the crowded garden and _smile_ didn’t help either, as he found himself tripping over his feet in an effort to cross the yard to meet her. Luckily he couldn’t be chided for wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair, he felt as if this was the one day where he was allowed to be greedy. To soak up her affection and touches as if it were the last time on earth he’d get the chance to feel them. So she ended up shaking her head, clasping his hand in hers and leading him around like he was a lost kitten, and Adrien didn’t care. As long as he got to stay by her side, nothing else mattered. Though he did smile and nod and greet people, bolstering Marinette when the crowd became overwhelming by stealing her away to grab a cup of water for her to drink so she could gather herself again.

Being able to shower her with kisses hardly hurt either. When he took her aside to a quiet corner of the garden he could stand nearby, close enough to smell her sweet perfume until she drew him closer. Then he could easily wrap himself around her and kiss her ears or the top of her head. Or simply slide his hands casually into the pockets she’d hidden between panels of her dress in an excuse to hug her close, and found she’d tucked the lucky charm he’d made her into the pocket on the same side he hid the one she’d given him. Something about that made him squeeze her tighter, warmth spreading from his chest through to his fingers and toes.

“What’s that for?” She laughed, leaning back against him to soak up his warmth as much as possible. Something about the colder weather always made her more cuddly, and Adrien just assumed she didn’t handle the cold well. Goodness knows he grew lazier in the summer between the heat and the sunshine, so they balanced each other out.

“I didn’t think you’d bring your charm to the wedding.” He grinned, nibbling on his lower lip as his fingers brushed the beads. It wasn’t the prettiest thing on the planet, and after a while it had been a little embarrassing realizing she’d kept it in her purse or on her wherever she went, but today was different. Something about it made him want to bury his face against her and hold her tight as long as he could.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Marinette pulled back only enough so she could meet his gaze, and her smile stunned him. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you had yours the whole time.” He didn’t have an answer for that, ducking his head with a sheepish chuckle only for her to meet him with a kiss. She was always so good at catching him off guard, and before he could stop himself he was melting into her kiss. When he pulled back they rubbed noses, and he held her gaze even as he blinked lazily as if coming out of a stupor.

“Caught red handed yet again, whatever will I do?” Adrien smirked, but as much as he wanted to steal her away, they still had guests and while they may have wanted nothing more than to while away the hours with one another, they still had to entertain. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he did find himself regularly checking the time to count down the minutes until he could have Marinette all to himself.

He was in the middle of a conversation with his father and Monsieur Dupain when it struck him that Marinette was his _actual wife now_. His smile twisted into something goofy in the middle of a sentence as he hid his face behind his hand as he watched Marinette talking with Alya and Madame Cheng. He didn’t see the looks that Tom and Gabriel exchanged behind his back, or the way Tom’s knowing smile was met with the faintest ghost of a lift at the corners of Gabriel’s mouth.

* * *

The whole day had passed in a whirl of colors and emotions that had threatened to overwhelm her. Alya had squeezed her hand and nearly smothered her with tissues on more than one occasion in an attempt to keep her from ruining her own makeup with surprising levels of success, but Marinette couldn’t help but worry. It was really all she’d been able to do for months. What if there was an akuma. What if she tripped or messed up her vows or tore her dress. A million terrible situations flew through her mind up to and including Adrien deciding at the last minute that he was in love with someone else, or he’d come to his senses and would just leave her at the altar while he ran off to Milan with someone more famous or rich or beautiful than she could ever be.

Alya was ready to slap her into next year and Marinette knew it. How Alya had managed to put up with her meltdowns for so long and weather them without fail, Marinette didn’t know, but she was grateful beyond words. Sabine would shake her head and let Marinette wear herself out until the ceaseless tide of rambling came to a sputtering halt before she interjected, but Alya had quite enough of Marinette’s nonsense by the time the music was starting and Marinette’s line was supposed to walk.

“Marinette! If you don’t stop that you’re going to rip your dress!” Alya hissed, her eyes flashing behind her glasses and left Marinette shrinking behind her father’s reassuring bulk. Marinette’s trembling fingers fumbled with the ruffle she’d been twisting, patting it until Alya knocked her hands away and stepped in to smooth out the wrinkles in the gown. Unlike Tom, Alya had no qualms about getting her hands in Marinette’s business, stuffing them under layers of silk and sheer ruffles to tug and fluff until the gown looked perfect again. Rising up to her full height and tossing an auburn ringlet over her shoulder, Alya sniffed before flicking Marinette on the tip of her nose with a freshly manicured finger.

“Hands off until your dress change! I can’t fix it for you once we’re out there.” Scolding done, Alya’s expression warmed with affection as she gave Marinette’s cheeks a parting squish. “Smile, girl! You’ve been dreaming about this day for years, so it’s time to own it!” With a final playful jab to Marinette’s side, Alya patted her own dress back into place, scooped up her bouquet, and marched down the aisle like she owned it. Heart pounding like a thunderous drum, Marinette clung to her father’s arm and tried not to let her nerves rattle her into pieces.

“Papa….” The threat of tears was in her voice, but all it took was feeling his warm hand engulf hers where it rested in the crook of his arm. Glancing up, she met his gaze and the way his silver-flecked mustache twitched as he smiled.

“No tears on the big day, Marinette. Let me see my brave girl’s smile.”

“Pa _pa!_ ” She laughed, swatting him with her other hand as she remembered at the last second that the door was open and people could likely hear her.

“There she is!” Tom grinned, totally unrepentant as he plucked her bouquet off the side table and held it for her. Pillowing her cheek against his broad arm, Marinette took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, trying not to let her jitters get the best of her. Alya and Papa were right, everything was going to be fine. Biting her lip, she glanced down at her bouquet, the tiny ladybug charm sparkling from where it was pinned to the ribbons that bound the flowers together. Everything was going to be fine. She could do this.

Even if Tom was cracking terrible jokes just to get her smiling as they stepped out onto the grass, the sunlight dazzling her for a moment before he twitched her veil back into place. Everything was so loud and bright and for a moment her hand clutched her father’s arm tight, but a shift at the edge of her vision caught her eye. Drawn to the movement, she lifted her head and felt as if the world dropped out from beneath her feet like any time she’d thrown herself from the top of the Eiffel Tower and waited for her bandalore to catch on a distant rooftop.

The sun hit his hair and made him _glow_ , and she completely forgot how to breathe. There was no one else in the world except for them, and she forgot to pay attention to anything else. It was good luck and Tom’s good sense to hold onto her that got her safely to the altar, and Marinette hardly noticed how Alya took her flowers from her or the way she slipped from her father’s grasp like water through his fingers.

Adrien’s smile was all that mattered, his cheeks flushed and his lip caught between his perfect teeth. His hands were warm and strong, calloused and as familiar as her own, and all she could see was how green his gaze was, flecked with the faintest traces of gold near his pupils. It took everything she had not to lean into him, to press herself against his side and never let him go. Then he was lifting her hand, and her breath caught, eyes going wide as heat flashed through her.

“I never thought I’d get to marry an actual princess.” And his smile was so familiar and his lips brushed her knuckles, Marinette struggled to remember how to breathe. Ducking her head, her head was a roaring white blank, lost in a flurry of emotions she wasn’t certain she had names for as he pulled her closer. Hopefully he couldn’t hear the way her heart was pounding, the rest of the ceremony lost in a blur, yet she still managed to say her vows without stuttering.

The look on his face when her veil was lifted was enough to burn her cares to ash, sweeping them away into the warm autumn sunlight that brought out the sparkle in his eyes. His hand dwarfed hers and the ring she held felt heavy with surety and promises, and as she slipped it on his finger she caught sight of the spots along the inside of the band and her smile grew wide. _May good fortune always be with you, just like my love._ Years of aching, of wanting, so many wishes and worries and flustered daydreams and suddenly it was real.

All of it.

Her smile seemed to be permanently in place, her face ached with it, his hand clasped hers as if he’d never let her go and the new wedding band on his finger seemed so foreign and yet so _right_. It paired perfectly with his thick silver ring and she was already leaning towards him when they were announced man and wife. Rising onto her toes to meet him, but Adrien was nothing if not full of surprises. All impulse and quick on his feet, scooping her into his arms so he could kiss her and chase away whatever doubts lingered. _This is real_.

And then she felt like she was flying as he spun her, her laughter loud and delighted as she could have easily carried him across the entirety of Paris even without her suit. It took everything she had to pull away, to hold back on kissing him, but when he started to run she found herself almost tripping to keep up. All her worries fled as she grabbed her dress, holding it high off the grass to keep it from staining as she raced him down the aisle and grinning so hard her face hurt. Like they had run along the banks of the Seine the night he’d proposed. Like the day they’d run through all of Paris trying to sneak into a movie theater with their hands clasped and breathless with laughter and the knowledge they could get caught in a heartbeat. Nothing else mattered but the feel of his palm against hers and the sound of his laugh as they escaped, falling against him as he held her close while they giggled themselves into gasping for air.

Marinette didn’t want the day to end for anything, and it took bribery and quite a bit of tugging on Alya’s part to finally peel her away from her husband’s side. Adrien was her _husband._

The screaming shriek she unleashed into her hands behind the closed doors of her changing room could have woken the dead in the catacombs of _Rome_ , but no one faulted her for it. Teased her mercilessly, but never blamed her even if Alya had to continuously poke and prod her to get her out of her voluminous gown and into the dress that Alya had affectionately dubbed ‘the slinkiest red number ever to grace a church’, much to Marinette’s dismay. Still, she did have to admit it looked great on her as she slipped the few items out of her first gown’s pockets and into her second. Grabbing her clutch, she popped it open and slipped a few sweets inside for Tikki before letting Alya lead her away again.

* * *

“Adrien, where are we going?” Marinette had that cute pout plastered on her face, the pink on her cheeks looking perfect with how the red of her lipstick had finally smudged away enough to match. He might have had more than his fair share to do with why her makeup was half gone already, grinning to himself as he rubbed his thumb across his lower lip. He felt like he was going to burst at the seams.

“You’ll see! It’s a _surprise_ , my lovely Brideinette. If I tell you then it won’t be one anymore and that’ll ruin the present!” With a chuckle he leaned in, pressing a kiss to her temple right above her eyebrow and ignored the way she was obviously sulking. This was one of the few times he was glad to ride in a limo, pulling her as close as he could with their seatbelts on so he could nuzzle her hair and kiss the back of her neck. They were close, and the anticipation was twisting in his stomach as he hid his face against her hair so she couldn’t see the way he bit his lip.

When they’d talked of moving in together, he’d asked her what her dream home had been on a whim. They’d been sprawled across his couch, her half-tangled in his legs as he’d let his fingers dance along her spine just to hear the happy sounds she’d made. It had ended up with them jokingly looking up apartments and houses on their phones, Marinette giggling over some of the more ridiculous listings before he’d caught her cooing over a handful of different places that she’d insisted she’d never be able to afford.

“Adrien, where are we.” It wasn’t a question, and he had to lean back to avoid her whacking him on the nose as she twisted in her seat. “ _Adrien?_ ” He couldn’t hide the grin no matter how he bit his lip, and the flush on her cheeks and the way she pressed her nose to the glass made it worth it.

“Adrien, you _didn’t_!”

“Surprise, Mari!” He leaned close and kissed the back of her head as she stared at their new home. True, it wasn’t the most expensive option she’d been eyeballing, but it was definitely outside of their planned budget. Adrien just wasn’t sure if she was going to laugh or turn around and punch him for it.

His answer came in the form of a very sore shoulder and lipstick smears halfway across his face. He had a feeling she might have lost one of his collar buttons as well but he hardly cared about that. Sliding out of his seat with as much grace as he could manage with too many glasses of champagne and knees weak from laughter, Adrien set one hand on the car door and offered her the other.

“So, my queen, do I get to carry you inside or are you going to throw me through the doorway if I try?” His eyes sparkled with mischief and his smirk was all Chat Noir, but he almost regretted the offer as soon as the words left his lips. Something about the way her eyes shone sent a shiver through him even as she rose from the car and let him kiss her fingertips. For one heartbeat the world stopped and he knew he’d made the best decision of his life when she smiled.

“First one to the front door carries the loser.” The sweet smile turned wicked and before he had a chance to process what she said she was gone and Adrien was left scrambling to catch up even with his longer stride and ten years of hero work behind him.

How on earth was she so _fast?_ And in heels no less!

Leaning against the doorframe with a groan of dismay, Adrien covered his face to hide his blush as Marinette’s delighted laughter rang in his ears. With years of practice behind him, he let out another overly dramatic groan as she unlocked the door and unceremoniously scooped him into her arms like he weighed nothing. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go _at all_ , he wanted to sweep her off her feet like a proper princess—nay, queen—and carry her upstairs where he could ravish her senseless.

Only now he was the one getting carried off and he couldn’t tame the blush in his cheeks at how _easy_ it seemed to be for her to carry him and walk down the hall in heels. Something about it was like Ladybug all over again and he mumbled half-hearted complaints into her neck as she giggled. At least she was generous with her kisses, cooing into his hair and surprising him by nibbling at his lower lip when she caught him pouting.

“None of that, Prince Charming. You’re supposed to be telling me which way it is to the bedroom.” Her grin was dazzling, and it took him several tries to remember how words worked as his face tried to match the red of her dress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the spicy continuation of this chapter slide on over to part two of [On Night's Wings, Coccinelle!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15569274/chapters/36798486), but be warned it is **Explicit Content** due to inappropriate-for-minors hijinks and therefore should not be read by minors.
> 
> You won't miss any plot by skipping it, there's just a lot of kinky smut. Or a little kinky smut. Either way, it's spicy, feel free to skip it if that's not your cup of tea.


	6. Home Sweet Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Married life is more than just bliss, Marinette discovers it comes with hazards that include a micromanaging in-law and more work and stress than she would have imagined. Meanwhile Chat Noir finds himself handling his two favorite ladies with kidgloves while they suffer from the growing pains of work responsibilities. Still, it's all worth it in the end, isn't it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goooood evening starshines~! This is ZiriO back from beyond the void, LaterDays and I have returned once again to give you more misadventures of our darling heroes! Thank you all for being so patient, I've been struggling with health troubles and preparing to move in the next two weeks so sadly this fic went on an unintentional hiatus! BUT NOT FOR LONG. NYO HO HO HO HO! Y'all can't get rid of me _that_ easily! Especially since from here on out things are going to get ABSOLUTELY crazy plot-wise.
> 
> Buckle your safety belts lovelies, this fluff train just shed its fleece and we're on the ONE WAY TRACK TO FEELS TOWN. So as always, please enjoy and stay tuned until next time!

The first few months had been a happy blur with surprisingly few akuma attacks. Marinette found it strange that their honeymoon had gone so well, but she wasn’t about to question it when it meant that she and Adrien had nearly two full weeks to themselves without her needing to fly off into the Parisian sky to save the city from disaster while giving her husband the slip. Still, as much as she didn’t want to jinx herself, two weeks was an _awfully_ long time for Papillon to lay dormant. Entirely unprecedented, if her memory served her right. 

As suspicious as it was, Marinette found her attention dragged away in the rush of stress and excitement that came with her debut as a designer. Adrien had helped model the men’s line as well as get her portfolio reviewed by his father to a surprisingly glowing response, and her online boutique was soon reaching a point where she was seriously considering opening a brick and mortar store. Her nights and mornings were spent pouring over the ledgers while her days were spent in a flurry of work. She discovered that a brand that was given the Agreste blessing was one that was an overnight sensation, the fact that she had a more affordable line as well as an upscale couture brand didn’t hurt at all. Quitting her day job to focus on her online boutique had been gut-wrenching and terrifying, but Adrien had weathered her anxieties and the tears and her middle-of-the-night meltdown when she woke in a panic with surprising grace. He held her close, letting her cling tight as her fears tumbled out of her, rubbing her back and pressing kisses to her hair.

“No matter what happens, we’ll have each other, Marinette. It’s scary starting fresh,” his smile was soft in the darkness, but she could almost make out the sparkle of his eyes. “We’ll be okay, if this brand doesn’t work out, you can always just try again.” He lifted her hands to his lips, kissing her knuckles, and Marinette had felt the anxiety that was twisting her stomach unknot and bleed out of her until she sagged against him. Adrien tucked her head against his shoulder and continued to pepper her hand with kisses until he heard her breathing even out, and Marinette wasn’t sure if she was dreaming when she heard a soft purr in the darkness as sleep closed in on her.

“ _Sweet dreams, princess._ ”

She hadn’t slept so deeply since their honeymoon, lulled into a warm and comforting darkness that felt as if it rumbled beneath her touch.

* * *

“Milady, your spots seem to be dragging you down, whatever’s wrong?” Chat cocked his head, his ears flicking forward as he watched Ladybug stagger beside him, her eyes barely open. This time of year was always rough as the winter chill crept into the air, his Lady’s joints locking as her Miraculous left her groggy and torpid. Without a second thought his arm was raising and she had tucked herself against his side, leaning heavily into his warmth as if she could leech it from his bones and bundle herself within it.

“Work stress.” Her mumble was almost unintelligible against his shoulder, his ears twitching and his tail gently winding about his lady’s calf as his smile went soft. Without thinking his hands moved to rub her shoulders and spine, helping her thaw out her limbs and hopefully rouse her from her stupor. Luckily his Lady didn’t complain when he let his chin rest atop her head, his purr rumbling through them both, and soon enough she was sighing, her chill-tensed limbs loosening and relaxing her clenched grip on his waist.

“You and my wife both.” The grin on his face was lopsided as he thought of Marinette at the dining table with her thumb trapped in her teeth chewing her nail as she struggled with the bookkeeping. He’d promised her he’d help her with it as soon as he got home from his ‘study session’ that he’d used as his cover for patrols ever since the beginning of the semester. He was in the final stretch before he got his masters degree, and while he felt unbearably guilty, it was the most plausible lie he could stomach telling her. Rubbing his cheek against Ladybug’s hair, he purred all the harder, hoping to ease her stress through the familiar affection. How had it grown so normal for them to be so comfortable like this? He’d never questioned it before, but he wished he could do the same for Marinette, wondering if she’d sink into him the way Ladybug did when he purred so deep he could feel it in his bones. Or feel his wife’s fingers along the places on his scalp and spine that Ladybug knew from instinct that would instantly release the tension in his limbs. There’d been so many nights he’d longed to simply crawl into her lap like a cat, demanding to be pet and held, but that wasn’t exactly a conversation he could have, could he? His ear twitched and he tried to shake the thought off, once again focusing on his Lady. He’d come back to those ideas some other time.

“It’s the worst.” He could almost see the way her nose wrinkled from the disgust in her tone, and he had to bite back the chuckle before it escaped. When the cold months hit, his Lady was unfortunately surly when she was in a bad mood, so instead he simply patted her back sympathetically.

“If you can’t tell me about it, that’s fine. I hope things get better soon, Buginette.” The soft croon helped, as the hunch in her shoulders sagged significantly and she finally raised her head.

“Adr—mm.” She made a face, and he almost laughed at the way her eyes squished shut and the very tip of her tongue stuck out. He kicked himself for not having his baton in hand to snap a photo. “Actually my husband’s been really supportive, so it’s not _so_ bad. It’s just been a lot of work, more than I was expecting, but it’s also been exciting? It’s complicated, and I can’t really say anything without it being obvious.” Ladybug sighed, and he could tell from the wistful look in her eyes that she _wanted_ to say more, and he felt his heart squeeze as if someone gripped it tight. He knew that feeling all too well, having spent many of their patrols wanting to spill his heart to her and tell her absolutely everything.

He’d have given everything he had to do it ten years ago, when she was still tripping over her own feet and words. Her sweet smile and charming disposition had caught him right in the heart and he’d wanted to do nothing more than give her the world. A small part of him still did, even though his sun and moon was waiting for him at home, but he let the feeling fade away to the back of his mind, and instead ruffled Ladybug’s hair to distract himself.

“I should hope he’s been supportive, if not then he and I would have to have _words_.” He hadn’t intended to growl the last word, surprising himself and earning himself a swat from Ladybug. Chat knew he’d deserved that even as he chuckled in embarrassment.

“Chat, if you terrorize my husband I’ll kick your butt into the deepest part of the Seine.”

“I’ll hold you to that, Milady.” He grinned, unable to entirely stamp out the surge of overprotective feelings even if he kept them in check. “Now, I believe we’re supposed to be out looking for akuma? Think you can manage on your own, or will I have to carry the lady about town?” His grin turned sly, his eyebrows waggling and dragging a groan out of her. With a surprising amount of effort, she shoved him away, her bandalore in her hand.

“I can walk just fine, Chat. My legs aren’t _broken_.” With a flick of her wrist, the wire tether sang, and she shot him a smug glance that was entirely at odds with her earlier moping.

“Do try and keep up, _Chaton_.” With a deft tug she was gone, and his grin grew wide as he crouched down to spring after her. If that was how she wanted to play it, then he’d just have to catch her.

* * *

When he walked into the house that evening, he came bearing a box from Tom and Sabine’s, knowing that fresh pastries from home were one of the most powerful instant mood boosters he had against Marinette’s frazzled nerves. There’d been a bit of a verbal scuffle between Adrien and Tom about whether or not he was allowed to pay for them, and it ended with Sabine interfering by suggesting he could stop by and help at the bakery if he’d like on his next day off. Which Adrien had immediately accepted, as the offer to learn how to help make the treats he loved most was far better than simply trying to smuggle extra euros into the till under Tom’s hawklike gaze. It also meant that if he got good enough at it, he could make Marinette her favorite pastries at home.

It turned out to be a great idea, since she looked frustrated to the point near tears when he returned home. Setting the box on the table outside of her arm’s reach in case she flailed, he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

“Still struggling, Mari?” Twitching back just in time to avoid taking her skull to the chin, Adrien smiled gently as she met his gaze with flushed cheeks. In her lunge to wrap her arms around him, he had to slap a hand down on the pastry box to make sure it didn’t get knocked over, a chuckle rising in his throat. “Well, it looks like _somebody_ missed me!”

“I did.” The confession warmed him to the core, helped along by how she rubbed her face against his stomach. How could she be so cute all the time? Even after all these years? If he’d been in the mask he knew he’d have been purring up a storm, running his fingers gently through her hair before sliding the box towards her.

“Sorry I got home a little late, but I stopped by the patisserie to get you something for all the hard work. I’ll go grab some drinks and then I’ll help with the books, how does that sound?” Marinette looked ready to melt in his arms, reaching for his face even as he stooped to kiss her.

“That sounds amazing.” She breathed against his lips, her own all softness and sweet from her favorite lip balm. “Whatever did I do to deserve you?”

He could have easily asked the same thing of her, but instead decided to simply kiss her harder. It certainly worked out for him in the end, Marinette all but climbed into his lap as he fixed the bookkeeping, while they polished off the sweets her parents had given him. For a moment he’d regretted leaving the box within easy reach, as he’d planned on saving at least a few of the cakes for later. But between his sweet tooth and Marinette’s ravenous metabolism, the pastries didn’t stand a chance. Which meant that by the time he was done correcting the math she was too tired to keep straight they were left looking guiltily at a box with a few crumbs and flakes of crust remaining, and both of them with sticky fingers and frosting at the corners of their mouths. The silence stretched until they looked at each other, and he wasn’t entirely sure who began to chuckle first but soon their embarrassed giggles turned into laughter and Marinette’s forehead pressed into his shoulder as she let out the most unladylike snort. It took them ages before they got their amusement under control and Adrien lifted the box to stare into it with the saddest expression he could muster.

“Well _that’s_ not what I’d planned at all! I was going to make these last for a few days.” With a gusty sigh and a dramatic sag into the seat that left his wife laughing even harder, he rolled his eyes skyward. “We’ll _just_ have to go get another box in the morning. So, how about a bath?” He glanced at her, his eyebrows arching hopefully as he tried to keep his expression otherwise nonchalant. Marinette was grinning delightedly, and he could feel her hand creeping up his side, forcing him to suppress a shiver lest she get _ideas_ and they never made it out of the dining room.

“That sounds like the best idea yet.” She beamed, and when they kissed she tasted of sweet cream, strawberries, and chocolate.

* * *

Christmas was also surprisingly quiet. Normally there was at least one akuma attack on either the day of or on Christmas Eve, due to spurned lovers or a particular night that Marinette was too embarrassed to admit to. Yet this year was the first time it was spent with the Dupain-Cheng and Agreste houses planning to spend it together. Marinette had called Nathalie and asked if Gabriel would be available in an attempt to extend an olive branch to her antisocial father-in-law, and had been shocked when Nathalie returned the call within half an hour with the assurance that Gabriel had not only agreed to host, but that he’d cleared the entire evening for the celebration.

Yet he still seemed startled when Marinette appeared on the doorstep with Adrien and both her parents, their warm greetings met with a moment of awkward silence before Gabriel seemed to remember how to speak. Tom’s hearty clap on the back after a crushing embrace likely hadn’t helped, as Marinette and Adrien both had to stifle their laughter as Tom visibly knocked the air out of Gabriel without even trying. Nathalie was met with a much gentler embrace from Sabine, and soon enough the presents were piled high under the tree and the food that Tom and Sabine had brought was added to the meal prepared by the Agreste cooking staff.

The sight of it all had knocked the air from Adrien’s chest. It had been one thing to have his friends swarm his house in the second year after his mother disappeared, and the past two years while dating Marinette had been almost like a dream, but this was different. Something about listening to the chatter around the table while Marinette’s knee brushed his own, their fingers occasionally intertwining beneath the table made his chest go tight. It was like he was eleven again, listening to his mother’s laughter and excited, conspiratorial whispering about their plans to stay up and wait for Santa. The mansion felt like a _real home_ again, instead of a place where people just existed. Even his father seemed quiet, the stern expression fading to something almost kind as Marinette tried to ask him if he had any plans for the holidays outside of the fashion industry events. His answers were careful and measured, almost halting as she coaxed him into some semblance of casual conversation, but the fact was that Gabriel was _trying._

Which was a lot more than Adrien had seen him give anyone else over the years. How Marinette was breaking down his father’s walls, he didn’t know, but he let his hand rest on her knee and squeezed it encouragingly. Maybe now he’d finally get his father back, or maybe he was gone forever and these tiny glimpses were all that was left. Adrien wasn’t sure, but the flicker of hope still burned even after so long. A dying hope, but one he clung to desperately. If nothing else, he’d make it his Christmas wish for the year.

He was still watching them when Marinette met his eyes and smiled, warmth blossoming in his chest at the way her wide eyed surprise turned into the softest gaze he’d ever seen. Before he caught himself he was leaning in, and she met him halfway, their foreheads gently resting against each other as her hand covered his.

“Merry Christmas, Adrien.” She smiled, and he was surprised to find her wiping tears from his face. No one at the table judged him when he held her close, his face buried in her shoulder as his own began to shake. For the longest time they sat in silence, her hand rubbing his back as he let his emotions run their course.

* * *

It was a few days before the new year when Ladybug and Chat met on the Eiffel Tower, presents in hand. Chat was the one that had started the tradition. They couldn’t celebrate birthdays, but they celebrated their hero anniversary and Christmas without fail ever since they were eighteen. Fall would creep around the corner, and as long as no akumas were out, they would meet and spend the afternoon and evening enjoying each other’s company. At first it had begun as a way to stay close, knowing both of them would soon be going to university, Chat had been concerned that they wouldn’t see each other as often anymore. So to commemorate four years of partnership, they’d traded gifts.

Only they had both stayed in Paris, and they kept up the gift exchange. At first it had been small trinkets, Ladybug often bringing sweets or pastries or little handmade things, while Chat had found things that reminded him of her. Over time it ended up with giving each other their own merchandise as a joke. Ladybug finding obscure Ladybug themed books and figurines for her partner, while Chat swamped her with cat-eared hoodies and pawprint gloves. All year they’d hunt for the perfect merch, saving it for the right time.

This year however, had been different. They hadn’t been able to meet for their anniversary, so they had promised to bring something extra for Christmas. Ladybug was watching Chat with a strange look on her face, as if she were ready to burst at the seams with excitement, fidgeting where she sat crosslegged on the viewing platform next to him. His Lady had always been fidgety whenever she wasn’t focused, prone to idle toe-tapping and fluttering fingers if she didn’t have something to keep her hands busy. Yet this was different, her lip caught in her teeth as she seemed seconds away from letting out one of her excited noises as he untied the wrapping.

“Don’t get your antennae in a twist, Buginette, I’m going!” Chat laughed, his bell jangling and tail flicking happily as he unfolded the brightly sparkling paper and tried not to get distracted by the sheer amount of _glittery_ things in the box. He had a feeling she’d wrapped it this way on purpose. Reaching in, he plucked out the last piece of tissue paper in the way, only to see two sets of button eyes staring up at him. One set a vivid green, the other a playful blue. Letting out a soft sigh of wonder, he reached in and gently lifted them out. Soft limbs flopped over his fingers, and he lifted them up to rub the minky fabric against his cheek. They smelled like _home_. Sly smiles stitched on by an even hand, the details of Ladybug’s new suit down to the spot placement, Chat’s own bell replicated with a tiny one that _actually jingled_.

He felt his throat closing up and he had to convince himself he was too old to be crying over stuffed animals but this was _different._ He sniffed hard, burying his face in their soft bodies and trying not to prick them with his claws. It took him a moment to compose himself, clearing his throat and carefully rubbing his eyes before glancing back at his Lady.

“Where on earth did you find these?” He tried to make his voice sound normal but it had gone thick and raspy with emotion, and Ladybug looked almost half her age as she hugged her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them.

“I might still be friends with that young lady that made the original plushes. You remember Marinette, right?” She smiled shyly and he could have laughed. Dizzy and sick with delight and something more. When on earth had Marinette made these that he hadn’t seen her do it? They were perfect, he could have bounded back home and kissed her senseless. He still wanted to.

“How could I forget?” He chuckled, shaking his head and rubbing his plush’s face, the stitched smirk making him feel warm all over. His sweet Marinette. It was like getting presents from his two favorite people at once, but he couldn’t even tell her thank you. At least, not as Adrien. It also meant he’d have to hide these away where she couldn’t find them unless she somehow made more and he could simply say he’d claimed them as his own from her inventory pile.

“Do you like them?” Ladybug sounded so hopeful, and he set his presents carefully back in the box before pulling her into a crushing hug, his tail curling around her hips.

“My lady, they’re one of the best presents I’ve ever received in my life. _Thank you._ ” He purred, rubbing his cheek against her hair and threatening to crush the air out of her lungs before planting a kiss to her bangs. Getting ahold of himself before he completely smothered her with his excessive face-rubbing, he leaned back with a scowl, the tip of his tail twitching.

“Only now I feel like my present isn’t good enough!” He huffed, lower lip popping in an intentionally dramatic sulk.

“ _Chat!_ ” She laughed, and it warmed him almost as much as the present had. “You know it’s not a competition! I’ll love it anyway, you dork!” She reached for it and he scooted the bag away from her, holding it just out of her reach.

“Noooooo,” he half-yowled, his ears flicking back. “I have to get you something nicer!” But she laughed and yelled at him and they chased each other around the viewing deck before she managed to pounce him, half-climbing him to snatch the bag from his hand and nearly dislodging the Santa hat he wore as she hopped away.

Then he had to brace himself as she threw her arms around him for the matching jackets he’d gotten her, their emblems emblazoned on the shoulders and back.

“Merry Christmas, Buginette.” He purred, resting his cheek atop her head as the lights came on around them. She sighed, her trilling hum filling the frosty air as they looked out over their city, his hand idly rubbing her back to keep her warm.

“Merry Christmas, Chaton.” Her fingers found a spot just beneath his shoulder that had been bothering him, and he melted into her touch. It was a long time before they made themselves part ways, and Chat Noir spent the entire trip home trying to decide where the best place was to hide his newest gifts from his wife.


	7. Separation Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Separated during an akuma attack, Adrien finds it impossible to reach Marinette. Worried for her safety, Chat Noir finds himself dangerously distracted during battle, how will Ladybug handle the fight with a wayward Chat?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back from the dead, it's ZiriO and the lovely LaterDays rising from the crypt to bring you the freshest chapter of Take Wing! Things are about to get _absolutely crazy_ plot-wise, so hang on to your seats!
> 
> Real talk though, it's good to be back, I've finished moving and I have internet again! Very exciting. Chapters might come every other week instead of weekly as I settle in, but we're glad to be back. As always, what will happen to our intrepid heroes? Stay tuned until next time, and please enjoy!

Marinette was having a hard time adjusting to being married to an Agreste. Not the part about marrying Adrien, as that was wonderful and perfect and he somehow managed to weather all of her worst days and turned them into some of her best. No, the trouble lay entirely with the fact that Gabriel Agreste seemed determined to somehow keep his thumb on both Adrien’s schedule and her own. Now, she was used to her parents being a little nosey—especially when it came to her husband—but when her father-in-law called to find out her hourly schedule for the following week, she had to gently remind him that she and Adrien were adults and could easily handle their own affairs.

The silence on the other end of the phone had been deafening. It had also felt like the beginnings of a war of attrition, neither of them would budge on the matter, though Marinette did concede to giving him Adrien’s class schedule and days when she knew ahead of time that they’d be near the Agreste mansion in case he wanted them to visit. Aside from that, Marinette was not the type to plan ahead. Not usually.

Mostly because when you lived a secret life of a superhero, your day-to-day life tended to flip at the drop of a hat. Which meant what should have been a relatively normal trip to Marché Saint-Pierre for more fabric and sewing supplies ended up being an all day affair when supposedly a retail worker had lost their temper at the customers, and got akumatized for it. Which meant she had to tuck herself away in the nearest dark corner and go chasing off after them without delay in order to stop them from harming the other citizens.

Unfortunately, this meant she missed the initial phone call from her husband who saw the akuma alert in between classes. As well as the second phone call and the third as he raced against the flow of students to find a good place to transform. Which meant that he was reaching near hysterical levels of stress by the time he called Nathalie. He barely let her answer the phone before the words began to spill from his lips.

“Nathalie! Can you get ahold of Marinette? I’ve tried calling her three times but she’s not picking up! She was out in the fashion district today.” _Right where the akuma appeared._ Raking his fingers through his hair as he tried not to dwell on it too hard, taking the emergency access stairs two at a time to the roof. “Yes I’m fine, my battery’s getting low, just—please! Please, if you hear anything, you’ve got to call me immediately!”

As always, Nathalie sounded almost unnervingly calm and collected in the face of emergency, and it helped soothe his nerves. Taking a deep breath as the woman reassured him she’d return his call if she heard anything, Adrien breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thanks, Nathalie.” Still, he couldn’t help the knot of anxiety that ate away at his gut as he called the bakery to see if Tom and Sabine had any news.

They didn’t.

* * *

The young woman behind the counter had been doing her best to help the customer, but the situation had quickly spiraled out of control no matter what she did. Everything just made the customers more and more angry today, and no one deserved to be screamed at in front of the entire store. Yet here she was, having to smile politely while she had one eye on the clock just waiting for her shift to be over so she could go _home_ and forget today had ever happened. It wasn’t worth the paychecks on days like today, but she’d applied to this job because it was doing something she loved. Or it had been, until the clients began to suck the joy out of every waking moment.

And that didn’t even count when her manager stepped in. Cool and quick to diffuse the situation, her manager had called her in to the back, and she could feel the dread rising in her. How long had she been at the shop? They couldn’t just fire her because some jerk didn’t know what materials didn’t work together and what they did or didn’t sell! Anger and frustration boiled up before she could choke them down, heat flooding her cheeks as she had to listen to her manager going on and on about how she needed to act more professional when that’s what she’d _been_ doing all day!

The last straw before her temper snapped completely was the way her manager sighed and told her to go home for the day. It was a few hours early, but she _needed_ those hours! Even worse was the implication that she might not even be keeping her job past today. After all of it, she didn’t even make it out the back door before she found her ankle boots scuffing to a stop. A melodious voice filled her head, the world around her falling away as her vision was washed in darkness and flame.

_A retail worker punished unfairly for an explosive situation they didn't start. Such rude customers should address their problems in a more constructive manner. How would it feel to make everyone understand the pressure you've been under today? If you assist me in collecting the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir, I can help you seek revenge against those who caused you to blow your top. Come Dressuvius, show me the power of your temper!_

“Of course, Papillon. Let all of them burn up before my passionate flames.” Her lips peeled back, her dark burgundy lip stain now a blistering red as fire and smoke flickered about her round face.

* * *

The knot of anxiety in Chat Noir’s gut tightened painfully as he kept his phone out before transforming, slipping it into one of his suit’s pockets before taking off into the sky with a leap. By the time he reached Ladybug he’d sent Natalie two more texts, hopeful to hear any news and growing more nervous when his phone stayed quiet. For the first time in their entire history of working together, Chat Noir didn’t hear a word of what Ladybug said to him, checking his phone and firing off another text to Nathalie.

“Chat? Earth to Chat Noir? What are you doing?” Ladybug watched him with worry, brows furrowing beneath her spotted mask as he let out an anxious growl and tucked his phone away. “Hey, what’s the matter Chaton?” He felt his ears flatten to his scalp, his tail lashing.

“It’s my wife, Buginette.” His tail whipped and struck the roof they stood on, his fingers mindlessly toying with the zipper to the pocket that held his phone. “She was out here shopping today when the akuma attacked. She hasn’t answered her phone at all, I can’t think straight. What if something happened to her?” His gaze flicked to his partner, pupils blown wide and his ears flicking towards sounds only to flatten again. Ladybug’s expression softened immediately, reaching out to rub his arm beneath his studded pauldron.

“It’ll be okay, mon minou. Come on, the sooner we take care of the akuma, the sooner you’ll be able to find her and make sure she’s safe. But I need you to focus right now so we can defeat it, can you do that for me?” Her squeeze to his bicep helped a little, and he gave her a shaky nod. The smile she gave him was supposed to be reassuring, he knew that, but he still found himself pulling out his phone to check it one more time and send another text before he followed after her.

Yet no matter what he promised his Lady, Chat couldn’t focus at all. Dressuvius left clouds of hot smoke in her wake, the ash leaving a glittering path behind her as she charged, the sound of high pressure steam being released screamed through the air as she swung a red-hot pressure cleaner at Ladybug’s face. Her high, black ponytail twisted into the air, tipped with fiery red and smoking faintly, her eyes blazing behind a mask like molten lava that scorched her cheeks. It was as if her mascara had caught fire while running down her face.

Normally Chat would have been over the moon with the dramatic flair of the villain, dying to drop puns and jokes, but today he couldn’t think. What about _Marinette?_ Had Dressuvius caught her with her steam cleaner? Burned her up in the fiery bolts of cloth she flung at them that scorched the asphalt? His chest ached and he was shaking all over at the thought, coughing and choking on what tasted like graphite dust as Dressuvius erupted again in a wild scream and filled the street with her ashfall. The glittering cloud left his suit a uniform sparkling grey instead of his sleek oilslick black and smokey charcoal, his eyes watering painfully to the point of blindness.

If it hadn’t been for Ladybug he’d have caught a molten bolt of fabric straight to the chest, her arm wrapping tight around his waist as she swung towards the rooftops and away from the akuma. Her bandalore wire shrieked in the heat, but sure and steady as the sun rising it didn’t warp or snap. The blessed rush of cool air struck his face as blue sky filled his watery vision as they burst through the ash layer. Ladybug’s feet touched down on the roof tiles before his, darting behind a rooftop access door and tugging him after her. He was shaking so badly he couldn’t even stay standing, tears leaving clear trails through the glittery dust on his face and mask as he tried to fight back the sob threatening to strangle him.

“Come on, Chaton, talk to me.” Ladybug scowled as she watched him, rubbing his shoulders and back to help settle him down enough to speak. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d seen him this bad off, and she wiped his cheeks, as much to clean and dry them as hide the fact that he’d been crying at all. The domino mask of his helped at least, but he had faint grey stains in his carefully cropped scruff that would betray him to someone with a sharp eye. “Is it about your wife, minou?”

He nodded, and she knew the signs well enough to see that he didn’t trust himself to speak, his shoulders still shaking. A soft trilling hum filled the air, and he sagged towards her, resting his forehead on her shoulder as she pet his hair. She could still hear Dressuvius screaming for their Miraculouses, but a high cackling sound drowned out the screaming and it was followed by a shout. A vivid dome of light erupted in the street, and she knew that Rena and Carapace had the fight contained for now. They could handle things until she had Chat able to stand again. So she hummed to him, stroking his dusty hair and his velvety leather ears, rubbing his back until he wasn’t shaking himself to pieces.

“I know it’s hard, Chaton. We never had to worry about anyone but ourselves before, and it wasn’t the same when we were living with our parents. My husband should be home by now, so I’m just hoping Dressuvius doesn’t make it to the residential district, but the only way we’ll be able to protect them is if we defeat the akuma. I know it’s scary, minou. I know. We’ll get you back home to her soon.” She kept her voice low as a soft crooning sound as she continued petting him, feeling the shivers just beneath her fingers slowly lessen. The humming seemed to be working better than she’d hoped, and soon the tremors in his hands eased until he could grip her tight, rubbing his face against the spots on her shoulder as a nervous rumble started up in his chest.

The nervous rumbling was a much better sign than the broken sobbing he’d been struggling with before. Playfully ruffling his hair and ears, Ladybug waited for him to lift his head and look at her. His pupils were still blown out, ears still flattened to his hair as his tail clattered across the roof with every nervous twitch. He looked so tired and scared, and she wanted to strangle Papillon for putting her sweet Chaton though so much stress. He didn’t deserve it, none of them did. Not their team, not the people of Paris. This goofy, overgrown kitten that liked naps and baths and videogames and bragging about the cute things his new wife did until they groaned at him on patrols. He was still that pun-loving fourteen-year-old in her eyes and likely always would be, and she just wanted to wrap him in a blanket and promise him everything would be fine.

Yet she couldn’t make that promise. So instead she took his face in her hands, no longer soft and round with boyish charm but all angles and roguish handsomeness that was sullied with worry, tear-smudged cheeks, and wet eyes. Pressing their foreheads together, she felt him take in a deep, shuddering breath and released it with a purr that mingled with her trilled hum. The tension left him, and their noses rubbed as she leaned back, her thumbs stroking his sideburns as she gave him an encouraging smile. The worry was still knitting his brows, but he sighed, blinking slowly at her before his ears perked up.

“There’s my Chaton. Come on, we should go join the others before Dressuvius melts through the street. I know it’s scary, but we can’t let Papillon see he’s getting to us. We’ll take her out and then I’m sure you’ll be able to get through to your wife without a problem.” One more pass over his face with her hand to try and rub the graphite dust from him, but it only succeeded in covering both his mask and her glove with glitter. For a moment all they could do was stare before a nervous chuckle slipped from him, and before long they were both laughing from nerves and the sheer ridiculousness of it all.

“Okay, okay! I meant it though, we should get going.” Ladybug gasped between subsiding giggles, giving Chat’s shoulders a final squeeze before she rose to her feet, offering him her hand. When he gripped it tight, she grinned, hauling him upright and flinging her bandalore out across the rooftops in a single smooth motion. Chat wrapped his arms around her and helped her push off, and soon they were plunging through the gilded dome of Carapace’s shield barrier and back into the cloud of graphite ash and glittering smoke.

Ladybug released him at the fastest point of their descent, Chat’s arms tucked close to his sides to streamline his silhouette, and he had a flash of clarity as Rena swept the smoke away with a swing of her flute.

_There!_

He whipped around, claws and steel-reinforced heels striking out as he used the momentum and spun with it. The akuma screamed in fury, steam erupting from the pressure cleaner on her back, and before she could pull it out or send bolts of fabric from the depths of her dress, Chat was on her with fangs bared and a deafening yowl as his baton came crashing down. Dressuvius’s steam cleaner shrieked as steam poured from its buckling case when she caught the blow and pushed him away, her eyes flashing and teeth clenched. Flames licked at her cheeks, boiling beneath the dark shell of her dress and along the cracks in her dark boots, molten drips pooling around her ankles as she skidded across the cobblestone street as he chased after her, leaving no openings as he struck again and again. Not all akumas were made alike, some more capable in close combat than others, but while Dressuvius was disastrous in close combat, she couldn’t keep up with his speed.

His spinning baton blocked her lava bolt, splashing magma around him and driving the akuma deeper into her furious rage, but it made her sloppy. Sloppy enough that she didn’t see Ladybug’s heel come crashing down to knock the steam cleaner from her hands as she readied it to blast him in the face. Chat Noir and Ladybug wove around each other, chasing Dressuvius back, their sweeping attacks clearing the air of the akuma’s ash clouds. Dropping to her knees, Ladybug tucked herself down as Chat leapt over her, Cataclysm sparking across his claws like dark lightning that raced up his limb and left his nerves alight with its reassuring dark flame. The rush in his veins was like no other, all the unchained energy pouring into her steam cleaner and crumbling it to ash.

Dressuvius let out a final scream as the change swept over her, but Chat Noir didn’t stay to help her back to her feet. He barely registered the fist bump, seeing the knowing look in Ladybug’s eyes as he took to the rooftops. Ladybug understood, she’d explain to the others he knew it, leaving him free to race back along the city with his phone in his hand, furiously texting Nathalie to see if she had any news.

She didn’t.

His heart almost stopping as he read the message. Dropping into an alley, Chat had to choke back the rising panic as he began calling everyone who might have known where Marinette might go in case of an akuma attack. It took everything he had to keep his hands from shaking as he hit the call button.

It took three tries before he got through to Nino, his heart in his throat as he begged for any word about Marinette. Nino didn’t know, and suggested calling Alya in case Marinette had gone to her best friend when the evacuation sirens sounded. Alya picked up almost instantly, but was almost as worried as he was when she admitted she hadn’t heard anything. More texts to Marinette went unread, his call unanswered, and Adrien found himself almost unable to breathe as he called Nathalie again. _Marinette should have been fine, the akuma was cleansed._ But if she was fine, then _why wasn’t she answering her phone?_ Calling the patisserie, Adrien couldn’t stop the shaking in his limbs, praying for good news when he got through to Sabine.

Nobody had heard from her yet, and Adrien sank to the curb with a strangled sob. Within half an hour he was sitting on the Dupain-Cheng’s couch with Sabine rubbing his back while Tom was on the phone with Nathalie in an attempt to locate Marinette. Nothing could console Adrien, having worn himself to exhaustion with his tears and cried himself into silence, the anxiety in his stomach was eating away at him too much for him to be properly numb and no amount of back rubs from his mother-in-law was helping.

When his phone finally went off he almost dropped it, seeing Marinette’s photo light up on his screen as the song they’d danced to at their wedding played almost deafeningly loud. His hands were shaking so badly Sabine had to take the phone from him, putting it on speaker so he wouldn’t have to worry about it slipping from his clammy hands.

“Mari? Oh god please tell me you’re alright!” He choked, grinding the heel of his hand into his eye to stymie the tears that burned hot and began to spill past his fingers. And here he’d thought he’d cried himself dry. “I’ve been calling everyone.” The words rasped out of him, and he leaned into the hug Sabine was pulling him into. He was so focused on the call he barely noticing the way Tom settled onto the couch on his other side, leaving Adrien firmly sandwiched between his wife’s parents.

“I am so, so sorry Adrien. I swear I would have called sooner. Everything happened so fast and I ended up thinking I lost my phone. It had gotten silenced and was hiding at the bottom of my bag. I am so sorry!” She sounded almost as upset as he was, her voice high and reedy, and he could almost see the way her hands were flapping or the way her eyes would be wet or how she’d be biting her lip. “Where are you? I’ll come to you right away.”

“I’m at the bakery.” He swallowed hard, his voice thick with his choking emotions. Feeling ill as the trembling came back in full force, though this time it was from relief. Over the line he could hear as Marinette sighed, mirroring his feelings.

“I’ll be right there. Wait for me, okay?” He nodded, remembering at the last second to use his words.

“Okay. I love you.” Those last three words were filled with more emotion than he had names for, feeling Tom ruffling his hair in reassurance.

“I love you too, I’ll be right there. I _promise._ ” She hung up after what sounded like her blowing him a kiss, and all Adrien could do was bury his face in his hands and wait. It felt like he waited for forever, not even looking up when the kitchen door burst open and Marinette tumbled in, shedding bags and her coat and throwing herself at the couch so hard he heard it groan as it skidded across the floor when he caught her.

He buried his face as deep into her neck and shoulder as he could, not caring about how loud he cried as he rocked where he sat. His head was too full of ash and flames and molten streets. Marinette’s hands were tangled in his hair, her words indecipherable as they overflowed too fast to make sense. Their kisses were wet and salty from tears, teeth bruising lips as they mashed together too fast, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that she was _safe_ , and she was soft and warm and still smelled like home as he hugged her tight. So tight he never wanted to let her go again, rubbing his cheeks against her and not even caring if anyone thought it was strange.

Adrien barely heard Marinette asking her parents if they could spend the night, he didn’t care where they stayed. Just as long as he didn’t have to let her go. It took everything he had just to pull back enough so that they could eat when Sabine brought them dinner, even if it took a lot of coaxing from Marinette to get him to actually put anything in his mouth. He was too high-strung to eat, his stomach churning, but he needed something or he’d be sick, so Marinette gave him a bite for every one she took. Between bites, she leaned forward and touched her forehead to his.

“Everything’s okay now, kitten. I’m here.” Her smile soothed his jangled nerves, and he breathed in her scent and held it in his mouth. Let it fill him with her comforting warmth before he let it out slowly. For the first time since he’d gotten the alert for the akumas, he knew she was right. Everything was okay. They were okay.

So when they curled up together on the couch while bundled in the thickest blankets Tom and Sabine had, Adrien slipped easily into the comforting darkness of sleep as Marinette tucked her head beneath his chin. As the darkness wrapped him in its folds, he could have sworn he heard and felt the softest, sweetest trilling hum. Like fingers stroking down his spine to soothe his shattered nerves. Familiar and comforting, so gentle it lulled him deeper into its embrace without question.

“ _Sleep, love, and sweet dreams._ ”

The darkness smelled of sweets and flowers, and wrapped him in a softness that kept the nightmares at bay. In fact, he was so deeply asleep, he didn’t hear his phone ring with a call from his father. That was the next day’s troubles.


	8. In Sickness and In Health

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the ash settles in the fallout of Dressuvius' attacks, Chat Noir has disappeared without a word like a puff of smoke, and Adrien's physical and mental states take a turn for the worst. After failing to cope in his own time or with the help of most doctors, Marinette does what she can to seek help by reaching out. Can Marinette's two favorite gentlemen confront their mental demons before things get out of their control?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO HELLO! After much shenanigans, hijinks, and other crazy real life troubles, it is I, Ziri O, with my lovely editor and co-author LaterDays returning once more with another round of Take Wing! Where have we been, you ask? Well...something something I moved house and accidentally threw out my shoulder so I haven't been able to poke at this for health reasons. Also, more somethings. BUT. We're back, and maybe perhaps we can get back to our bi-weekly schedule.
> 
> BUT STAY TUNED until next time, my starshines! Things are heating up for our heroes, and we have some great scenes coming up later that I am _very_ excited to post for you. (LaterDays interjecting that a couple of her favorite bits are in the next few chapters, but there's at least one or two in here that she adores.)

Gabriel was far more concerned about their schedule after that, and while Marinette understood his concern after the Dressuvius incident, it still made him come across like a nosey busybody. He managed to even make her parents look almost aloof by comparison which was a feat all of its own. Yet Gabriel’s pushy attitude was the last thing on her mind when it took Adrien weeks to get over the fright.

Guilt ate away at Marinette whenever he woke up from his night terrors shouting her name, his hair soaked with sweat and eyes wild. They spent their evenings curled up on the couch, Adrien wrapped tight around her as she stroked his hair. At least the constant shivering had stopped, but he needed convincing that she’d be fine even if he had to leave for class. He practically begged her to stay with Alya or her parents so she wouldn’t be by herself, and Marinette found it hard to tell him no when he looked so close to tears from the stress alone.

So she made plans with their friends so she would always be with someone as long as he was in class. At least until they found a better solution to soothe Adrien’s fears, but their family and friends were understanding. Still, it made going on patrol _very_ tricky, especially when Adrien took a break from his study group and Chat Noir was growing scarce. The fight with Dressuvius had rattled her poor Chaton, and he was forced to take an extended leave for his mental health.

Which meant Marinette had needed to call Alya, Queen Bee, and Carapace to cover for them. Marinette counted herself incredibly lucky to have such a great team, even if she left Chat messages regularly to check on her minou. He’d never done anything like this before, and she couldn’t help but worry for her partner the longer his radio silence lasted. The most she could do was call and hope for the best. After all, he always turned up again when she needed him most. The least she could do was have faith that he’d come back when he was ready.

In the meantime, she had her lap and hands full of an extra-cuddly husband who seemed incapable of being away from her for any length of time. While he was still struggling with his nerves, she did admit there were worse problems than needing to kiss his forehead and tell him they would be fine. Only he wasn’t _really_ getting better, as all their counter-measures to ease his anxieties were like putting bandaids on a wound that needed stitches. So when Adrien woke her up for a third time in a night with his nightmares, Marinette knew she had to do _something_.

So she called her parents, but they had very little idea of where to start looking for help. When that failed, she called Nathalie and told her it was an emergency. Marinette had grown used to waiting days to speak to Gabriel, but Adrien’s clammy skin and tremors had already been dismissed by the physician who apparently had seen a rise in anxiety-related ailments after the appearance of akumas. Marinette was ready to wait up to a week before Gabriel answered her message.

Apparently if she wanted his attention, all she needed to say was it was about Adrien. Nathalie had heard the anxious tone in Marinette’s voice, and with the cool attitude that had not once wavered in Marinette’s presence, immediately patched her through to Gabriel’s phone. Her father-in-law must have been busy, because he did _not_ sound pleased to be interrupted. His tone was so cold that for a moment Marinette had thought her heart would stop in a sudden flare of nerves.

“What could you possibly be calling about so early in the morning, Nathalie?” His tone was sharp and clipped, and Marinette had to suppress a shudder.

“I-it’s not Nathalie, Monsieur Agreste, it’s Marinette.” She cleared her throat, wincing a little at how she’d stuttered, instead distracting herself by brushing her fingers through Adrien’s damp hair. He’d been awake half the night from his new bouts of insomnia, and she was tempted to email his professor and request a day of absence. There was no way he’d be able to function today with the way he looked, and it wrenched at her heart.

“Marinette? You sound upset.” Gabriel was never an emotional man unless angered, but Marinette had to bite her lip at his puzzled observation. No, laughing now would not be a good idea, and if she started laughing at how obvious it must have been for him to notice, she’d be in tears in an instant and she didn’t trust herself.

“It’s about Adrien, sir. He hasn’t been well since the akuma.” At the sound of his name, her husband stirred, his eyes almost feverishly bright as they cracked open to look for her. Hushing him softly, she cradled his face in her hand, letting him nuzzle against it and drift off to sleep again. “I took him to the doctors but they recommended seeing a specialist in mental trauma. He hasn’t been getting better, and I can’t stand seeing him like this, since the...the whatever they are. Flashbacks, maybe? I don’t know, but at first it was just night terrors, but they happen during the day as well. Do you know where I could take him?” Keeping her voice down so as not to wake Adrien, Marinette realized the longer she spoke the closer she was to breaking down from the stress of seeing Adrien in such terrible shape.

The silence on the other end of the phone was deafening, then came a sharp intake of breath as Gabriel seemed to focus on something else. Waiting in silence made her jittery until she felt a warm arm snake around her waist and Adrien’s face press tight against her side. With a smile and a soft huff of amusement, she watched him snuggle against her, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he was still asleep or not. He had an uncanny habit of curling around her whenever she was upset, like some overgrown house cat. So she let her fingers tangle in his hair, combing through it to work out the damp knots and kneading his scalp until he relaxed with a sigh.

“Thank you for calling, Marinette.” Gabriel sounded odd, the harsh tones softened to something she’d never heard from the man before. Something that almost sounded _tender_. “I’ll have Nathalie look into it immediately and call you as soon as she can. Please, tell Adrien—” The words hung in the silence for a long time, Gabriel struggling with something before he spoke again, and the cool facade had slid back into place.

“Tell him to get well.”

“Of course, monsieur. Thank you.” Marinette smiled, leaving him with a few parting pleasantries before curling up on the bed beside her husband and gently pulling him into her arms. At least his shivers had stopped, she mused, kissing his damp brow and pressing her cheek to his hair. If she closed her eyes she wouldn’t see the shadows in the hollows of his face, the greyness to his sun-kissed skin. To hide her face in his hair would hide the sharpness of his cheekbones as he’d thinned, worn out and too nervous to eat full meals and too anxious to rest. Yet even if she closed her eyes she couldn’t escape it, because all she saw was the look on his face as she’d thrown herself through the door of her parent’s apartment after the fight with Dressuvius. The echoes of his fear ringing in her ears over the phone after she’d finally found it at the bottom of a shopping bag. After years of seeing him chased through Paris and thrown from the tops of buildings, all it took was one fight where Marinette had not dropped her transformation fast enough and missed too many calls to almost destroy her husband completely.

If she ever found Papillon she’d break his neck for what he’d done.

That thought didn’t leave her even hours later as she sat in the waiting room, one hand still feeling the ghost of warmth from where Adrien had held it tight before he’d left to see the psychiatrist. Her knuckles still tingled from the brush of his lips, and she found herself toying with her phone case to distract herself from her nerves. _We’ve seen a lot of cases like his, madame. It’s become increasingly more common for relatives of akuma victims to show similar signs. You’re not alone._ Marinette popped the wallet case of her phone open and shut, flipping it mindlessly back and forth and taking no satisfaction from the motions. The gentle popping sounds barely registered as she opened and closed the snap clasp, the clatter of her Rena and Chat-themed phone charms a distant nuisance instead of a comfort.

 _Increased cases of PTSD in victims and their families._ The words had left a cold hole in her, seeping into her limbs and twisting her insides. Too many resources online had listed a rise in mental health decline across all ages of Parisians in the years since Papillon had come to power. Marinette had not once considered the downside of her team’s fight against the rogue Miraculous holder. True, she could easily undo the physical damage, and the akumatized victims themselves forgot what had happened, but that didn’t account for the rest of the city full of people. People who often watched their loved ones transformed, watched the world as they knew it torn apart at the seams until the heroes of Paris swooped in to save them.

It made her want to vomit just thinking about the possibility that one day they might not be able to. That one day, they wouldn’t be enough. That _she_ wouldn’t be enough. That she’d fail everyone and Chat would never come back and her fingers plucked at the snap harder the faster her thoughts whirled away from her.

She had to move. Marinette had the burning desire to be in sunshine. Near flowers. Something, anything. The wind in her hair instead of the stale air of the reception room. The streets of Paris flying beneath her feet instead of the dull carpet her toes tapped against. _Stifled_. Like she was trapped in a jar instead of in an office waiting for her husband because she didn’t want him to go to this first meeting alone.

Her thumbnail was caught between her teeth and she was chipping away at the pink shimmery polish on it before she realized what she was doing as she stared unseeing at the office door. Ladybug was going to _murder_ Papillon if she wasn’t careful, desperately trying to keep her flurry of emotions in check. If it hadn’t been for the soothing pat of a soft paw against her arm that startled her from her thoughts, Marinette might have made herself sick. Instead, she flinched out of them, manicure ruined, glancing down at the depths of her bag to see a reassuring smile and wide, sympathetic blue eyes staring back at her. Reminding her to breathe, that everything, somehow, would be okay. So she took a shaking breath and sat back in the chair, closing her eyes and began to wait, Tikki gently stroking her arm for support.

* * *

“Good morning, monsieur.” Adrien almost didn’t recognize his own voice as he closed the door quietly behind him, raking his fingers through his hair and rubbing the back of his neck. He could only hope he looked at least halfway human, as he’d cringed at his reflection just that morning when he’d forced himself to shave. The whole beard thing wasn’t working for him, much as he loved having a neatly cropped dusting of hair along his jaw. That and he’d needed to add extra concealer under his eyes just to give the appearance of a good night’s sleep, otherwise he’d have looked like an extra on a B-grade zombie flick and that wasn’t the look he was going for when he was seeing someone about his nightmares.

Nightmares of Marinette lost in clouds of ash and magma. Nightmares he realized he wouldn’t be able to explain fully as they involved him desperately wading through the debris as _Chat Noir_. Any doctor would likely consider it metaphorical, but it was based in a terrifyingly real worry that one day he wouldn’t be enough. Wouldn’t be fast enough. That the dreams of Ladybug shattered in his arms or Marinette lost to the darkness or Rena, Carapace, and Queen Bee caught beneath collapsed buildings would all be too real and he’d be left standing in a pile of dust and death. He couldn’t take it anymore.

“Good morning, Chat Noir.” The familiar and gentle voice sent a rapid shiver down his spine and Adrien whirled on his heels, eyes wide as he took in the tiny man sipping from an antique-looking teacup at the desk. How he always managed to appear in strange places and look so at home, Adrien _still_ couldn’t figure it out even after all this time.

“Master Fu?” He couldn’t help the nervous glance towards the door, his spine straightening as Plagg settled on his shoulder and yawned noisily. The Kwami’s tail curled around the back of his neck, and he lifted his hand to stroke the tiny cat spirit’s head without a thought.

“No, it wasn’t your wife that called me, your secret is as safe as ever. Rather, it was your team. I have heard much from them about the disappearance of the Black Cat in the days since Dressuvius. They are all very worried, and for good reason it seems.” He set his tea aside, gesturing to the chair across from him. “Please sit, we have much to talk about and the doctor whose office I am currently borrowing has an appointment in less than two hours.” Adrien sank into the chair, confusion settling hard into his forehead as his mind reeled.

“But I thought…”

“That I would take my retirement as the Guardian as an excuse to step away from it all?” His smile was disarming, and Adrien felt a little sheepish, rubbing his cheek. “No, there is still much for the new Guardian to learn, and they are not yet ready to shoulder the task of helping their fellow heroes from the dark places that a life of fighting can take the mind to. Now, tell me what it is that troubles the Black Cat so deeply that he must hide himself away to lick his wounds.”

For the first time in weeks, Adrien sat back in the chair and felt himself relax, all the troubles of the battle and the dreams that had followed spilling from him like a dam that had burst.

* * *

The first day he woke up after a full night’s sleep was a good day, it was late in the morning by the way the light slanted past the drapes, and he was incredibly tempted to close his eyes and sleep longer as long as the nightmares stayed away. The feeling of freedom that came with a schedule that wasn’t so rigorously maintained was both terrifying and thrilling, and even after months of living in their own home he wasn’t used to it. Routine had ruled his life until Marinette entered into it, and with his recovery it had made his attempts to balance his schedule even more precarious. A soft sound next to him caught his ear, an exhale and the subtle shift of fabric, and he glanced through his messy hair at the blurry shape next to him.

Marinette’s hair stood on end like a dark dandelion fluff, her pixie cut needing a trim now that it was growing out again. He’d been both amused and surprised to find out she was a sprawler and prone to drooling, though his habit of cuddling in his sleep had tamed her tendency to throw her limbs out to take up as much of the bed as possible. After all, it was hard for her to be a starfish when she was half-smothered in his embrace. At the moment she was curled towards him, face pressed against her pillow and one hand resting lightly on the bunched up sheets between them. Her freckles were darkening now that the weather was getting warmer, and she spent as much time near the windows and on their balcony as she could. It made it all the more tempting to lean in and kiss them, and Adrien let himself indulge.

First her knuckles, her nail polish chipped from her nervous nail biting habit, the brush of his lips leaving her nose wrinkling for a moment before she stilled. Encouraged by this, Adrien smiled wider, kissing the back of her hand and her exposed shoulder, grinning to himself at how Marinette shifted in her sleep, the corners of her mouth twitching. She was still tucked too tightly into a ball for him to kiss her throat, so he settled for leaving a few soft pecks across her cheeks and the tip of her nose, and planting the final kiss to the smooth ridge of her eyebrow. Marinette’s lashes fluttered, her face scrunching as she groaned in her sleep, and Adrien leaned back just in time so as not to get struck in the chin with the arm that stretched high over her head as she dragged herself into something vaguely resembling consciousness.

“‘Drien?” Marinette peered groggily at him, still half-asleep yet already reaching for him to snuggle closer. He met her halfway, pulling her to his chest and kissing the top of her head as her arm snaked around his side. Soon enough he heard her snoring again, easily lulled back into sleep’s clutches by his warmth and closeness. He could almost feel himself relaxing as well, a part of him that was constantly certain she was in trouble soothed by the rise and fall of her chest and the feel of her snuggling tight against him. After a moment where he considered whether or not he should join her in more sleep as well, he reached out to grab his phone off the nightstand to check the time, ignoring Marinette’s feeble protests as he shifted beneath her. It wasn’t hard to soothe her, she quieted as soon as he stopped shifting, though her tightening grip did crush his ribs hard enough to make breathing difficult until she relaxed again.

With one hand rubbing her back, he checked the time and his calendar app. Sure enough, he had an appointment with Master Fu again today, which he was surprised to discover he was looking forward to. Each visit allowed him a way to come to terms with things he hadn’t even realized he’d been struggling with since he’d first taken up his ring, using his bond with Plagg to overcome the anxieties that had built up over the years. Master Fu had seen enough Miraculous holders to know how to help them past battle-induced traumas, knowing that they couldn’t go to regular medical experts for aid they would desperately need. The fact that it was strengthening his bond to Plagg and his Miraculous was an added benefit, though it came with a few side effects that he hadn’t expected. Like the fact that his teeth were growing sharper by the day, leaving his jaw sore and giving him an intense craving for more meat. At least it wasn’t noticeable to other people yet, and he hoped the glamour magic would disguise the new changes as they became more obvious.

Staring up at his ceiling, he felt a deep rumble start in his chest as he sighed, wrapped in Marinette’s scent as she snored softly. Her shoulder was soft beneath his palm, his thumb stroking her skin as he let his mind wander. There was enough time to eat and shower before he left, and he’d need to wake her up and more than likely physically drag her out of their bed before his appointment. A new thought struck him then, remembering something Master Fu had suggested on Adrien’s last visit to the retired Guardian.

He’d have to talk to Marinette about what she thought of him getting a cat. Maybe two. He bit his lip as his purr deepened, peeking down at his wife’s sleeping face. There was something in him that just knew she’d be great with raising cats. After all, she’d done a good enough job with him, hadn’t she?

* * *

“How exactly are you surprised that you married the crazy cat guy, again?” Alya laughed, grinning at Marinette as they strolled towards the subway on their way to the movie theater. Somehow she realized she should have known her bestie would find her plight more hilarious than not, considering Adrien’s enthusiasm for terrible cat puns.

“Yes but he wants _three_ , now. I have to keep telling him no every time he finds another cute cat on the shelter website.” Marinette groaned, dragging her hands down her face. The worst part of it was how _hard_ it was to resist. Adrien had mastered the art of the sad puppy face years ago, and now that they were married he’d found ways to _fine tune it_ now that they spent most of their day together and he was discovering all the little weaknesses he somehow hadn’t found during their years dating. How dare he use this knowledge for evil! Or the greater good, technically, but Marinette wasn’t entirely ready to turn their home into a sanctuary for stray cats. Not when she was still trying to convince his first two adoptions that her fabric supplies were not for pouncing.

That and they kept pilfering her pincushions when she needed them, and Marinette still couldn’t figure out where they were hiding those. Thank goodness she hadn’t actually _used_ any pins on them yet so there was no chance of injured kitties, but she was still nervous about future accidents. Yet the biggest reason she couldn’t complain about them was they’d managed to bring back Adrien’s smile and his playful nature. Sometimes he’d still get a vacant look in his eyes and she’d see him tense, but those moments were getting fewer and farther between. She hardly even needed reminders to text him where she was going these days, kissing him goodbye as she slipped out the door for errands and shrieking with laughter as he caught her by the waist to pull her back for more. He hadn’t been like that since Dressuvius, and Marinette hadn’t realized exactly how badly she’d missed his smirks and terrible puns until they were back again.

So his tiny terror minions could stay, with their cute round faces and their soft squishy paws, though she had to stop herself from talking to them about what silly things Chat Noir had done on patrol. Why she felt she needed to tell them about her happily returned partner, Marinette couldn’t say. Yet she’d found herself chatting away to them while they tried to nap on her fabric as she traced her patterns, regaling them the latest tales of their uncle Chat Noir while Adrien was off at his classes. This was her life now, whether she wanted it or not, but she was glad no one was ever around to see her do it except for Tikki who was gracious enough not to tease her.

Even if she _did_ giggle suspiciously whenever she mentioned Chat. Marinette still didn’t understand what was so funny, but she was usually too busy to ask. Even after so long her kwami still managed to be mysterious in some fashion. Sighing noisily to cover the sound of Tikki’s stifled giggles at Marinette’s current plight, the designer rested her hand on her shoulder bag, glaring balefully at her best friend who was chuckling almost as bad as her kwami was. Alya tossed a thick curl over her shoulder, and for a moment Marinette saw a flash of a fluffy white-tipped tail. Trixx loved riding on Alya’s shoulders, as dangerous as it was. It seemed the tiny fox spirit was fond of her thick hair when not hidden in the depths of Alya’s satchel. While Marinette could understand the kwami’s fondness for Alya’s rich curls, it was an incredibly risky hiding place.

“I’m sure life is just _so hard_ for you with your husband the cat whisperer.” Alya chuckled, flicking through her blog’s dashboard on her phone as she skimmed for new posts. Marinette’s nose wrinkled, ready to fire back at her only for Alya’s phone to erupt with the akuma alert. Before she could even begin to make excuses, Alya’s hand clamped down on Marinette’s wrist like a vice, yanking her towards the nearest shelter.

“Alya, wait! Listen—!”

“I don’t think so, girl! I’m not letting you pull another of your famous disappearing acts.” Alya scowled over her shoulder at Marinette, who’d managed to slip away from her to transform into Ladybug on more than one occasion since Adrien had begged Alya to keep an eye on her. Luckily she’d been able to call for Rena’s backup to keep her from alerting Adrien to her disappearance every time, but it was getting more and more difficult to give her the slip.

“Alya, _please!_ ” Marinette spotted a perfectly good hiding spot and grit her teeth, realizing she wasn’t going to be able to keep this act up much longer. With a curse under her breath and a silent plea for forgiveness from Tikki, she dug in her heels and _yanked_ Alya to a stop.

“This way, I’ll explain later!” She used all her years of hero work to pull Alya to the nook in the alleyway, shoving her behind the brick facade and clapping a hand over her mouth. “No questions, we don’t have time, I’ll let you ask everything _after_ we finish the job.”

It was a very good thing she had her hand so firmly on Alya’s mouth or half of Paris would have learned she was Ladybug by the sounds of Alya’s scream as the nook lit up in a flash of pink light.


	9. Friendship and Foxfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new akuma is sweeping through the streets of Paris in a maelstrom of color, and Ladybug finds herself swamped in more ways than one! With her secret out to one of her teammates and up to her knees in trouble with half her team affected by the akuma's powers, Ladybug and Chat Noir have to put their heads together to wipe this villain's slate clean!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last month has been quite the doozy, but yet again it is I, ZiriO and the ever-lovely LaterDays bringing you the latest chapter of Take Wing! There is Hijinks! There's Sweet Fight Scenes! There's more bits of LaterDays' writing in this because I was writing this while struggling with suddenly needing to move house. So please give LaterDays love for carrying me through this chapter and the next, and a shoutout to MiniMinou for double checking a few snaggly bits that I got hung up on as well.
> 
> Aside from my struggles with my health (which thankfully seem to be clearing up), I'm really excited because I am so happy with how this fight turned out. So! As always please enjoy and stay tuned until next time!

Halfway across Paris, about ten minutes earlier, a rather persistent man was reaching out with his powers, seeking out someone, anyone, with a powerful enough emotion to corrupt. He rejected three for being in too close proximity to his daughter-in-law. Five others that would have been perfect and far enough away were too close to infants or toddlers throwing tantrums, and he still remembered Gigantitan with a shudder. Never again... Perhaps the one six blocks from Adrien was far enough away from them both to avoid either of them getting caught up in his quest for the Miraculous. The pain and desperation called to him like a siren song, they were his best option by far. He could always redirect their inevitable path of destruction away from both his son and daughter-in-law with honeyed words or pain. Depending on how amenable they were to his bidding. His secret window opened, allowing a wide beam of light to pour in, and the swarm of pristine white butterflies stirred for the second time since he stepped in the room.

“I sense an artist in distress. Mental processes stiff as her fingers that are worked to the bone. Commission deadlines squeezed thinner than a forgotten paint tube.”

Papillon held up a black-gloved hand and one of his butterflies fluttered down instantly, only for him to cup his other hand over it. When he released it, its wings were jet black with thin, electric-violet patterns.

“Ah, _yes_. Fly, my akuma! Seek out this troubled soul!”

In a matter of minutes, the possessed creature found its unwitting victim: a young lady hunched over a sketchpad that sat in her lap. Markers, pencils, pens, and erasers were scattered over whatever space was available. Both of her wrists were bound in braces, but she still clutched at one in pain, frustrated tears leaking down her face in tiny rivers. On the desk in front of her, her laptop screen was open to her inbox, no less than five emails from people who were checking on commissions. She should never have taken on so many at once, even if she needed the money. And how could she make her commissions when she knew deep down she needed to rest and see a doctor? They would undoubtedly tell her that she needed some further treatment that would delay her work even more. She never should have left California… Coming here to pursue her dreams had been an absolute mistake. She’d only been in the country for several months and she knew nothing about the healthcare system. Her French was barely passable, and she was trying to learn more from the locals. But it never felt like enough.

The akuma winged by her view, but her eyes paused on the blinking light of her printer, demanding more ink she couldn’t afford. And that was all the time it needed to burrow into her right wrist brace.

In a split second, she stopped crying and sat up ramrod straight in her seat, just as a wire-thin line of light sparked to life in the shape of a butterfly mask. A deep, velvety voice echoed in her head and something inside her whispered that she should listen closely.

“A dreaming artist bit by wanderlust and a bounty of hopeful inspiration, now able to see the true splotches that painted the landscape of reality. I may not be a doctor, but I believe I have the cure you seek. Carpal Toner, bring me the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir, and I will see that you have all the help you need. Overdue commissions will be a thing of the past with Le Papillon as your one and only sponsor.”

It was too good to be true, and yet, she believed the voice that purred in the back of her brain. If she could get the Miraculous, all her worries would be at an end.

“Monsieur Patrillon, I accept your generous offer. I shall paint the town red and black to call the heroes out!”

Papillon severed their connection as she allowed his magic to consume her, and smirked. Now to wait for the heroes.

* * *

Alya had to admit it was hilarious watching Marinette’s face when she complained about the adorable terrors that were so obviously sinking their little claws into her heart and pant legs. As much as Marinette whined about them, she was nowhere near fooling Alya that she wasn’t growing attached to Adrien’s therapy cats. Like the complete dork that he was, he’d affectionately named them Meowlympe de Mewges and Tybalt Catpulet. How anyone could say those names with a straight face, Alya had no idea, but Adrien was still acting proud of himself for being particularly witty. As much as she didn’t want to, she did have to agree Mlle. Mewges was rather precious. 

Flicking her hair over her shoulder with a grin, she felt Trixx nuzzling against the nape of her neck, the kwami’s soft chuckling only making her grin wider. After that first taste of being Rena Rouge, she’d itched with the need to bound across the rooftops again, and had nearly screamed with joy once she’d been gifted the Miraculous necklace for good. Though she had given Ladybug a nearly bone-crushing hug when her excitement bubbled over with a flurry of repeated thank yous.

Apparently the feeling had been mutual on Trixx’s part, the kwami having stuck to her side and buried themselves in her hair and bag, often curling up beside her or hovering nearby while she worked. As long as they hid when her coworkers at the publisher stopped by her desk, Alya let them do as they pleased. They hadn’t been caught yet, no matter how dangerously Trixx liked to live, the tiny fox spirit smirking and preening every time they found a new and more difficult hiding place. Reaching up as if to scratch her neck, she found the kwami tucked behind her ear, stroking their head and scratching beneath their chin before letting her hand drop back to her phone so she could check the latest feeds. She was _fairly_ sure she’d seen someone drop a new post on the Ladyblog forums. She’d have to see if she could stage some photos of herself with her new additions to her Rena costume soon. The fan submissions rarely were high enough quality for her liking, and she was very pleased with how sleek the suit upgrades looked. Nino at least seemed to approve mightily if the steamy kisses on their apartment rooftop had been any indication.

The shriek of the akuma alert jolted her out of her thoughts about what she would be absolutely delighted to do with her husband that evening. The instinct to run towards the point on her GPS was squashed by the reminder that Adrien had asked her specifically to keep Marinette out of trouble. Trouble that she always seemed to slither away from faster than a well-oiled snake. Hissing in annoyance under her breath when Alya realized this meant she’d have to sit this attack out just to be sure nothing happened to Marinette, she grabbed her bestie by the wrist and began to haul her towards the nearest safe house.

What she wasn’t expecting was how hard Marinette would fight back. So used to pushing and pulling Marinette around when the girl got anxious, she was taken completely by surprise when the tiny designer dug her heels in and locked her knees, yanking Alya up short as she tried to shout her protests over the panicked yelling of the civilians around them.

“I don’t think so, girl! I’m not letting you pull another of your famous disappearing acts.” The last time had been terrifying enough, made moreso when Ladybug had called for her to come to the fight just when she was starting to turn the shopping district over looking for her wayward friend. Thankfully Marinette had popped her head out of the bathroom Alya had stuffed her in when she dropped her transformation and rushed back, but it had left her heart pounding in a way that she was sure would have killed her. No wonder Adrien was always a mess, Marinette’s natural proclivity to be a walking disaster seemed to quadruple during an akuma battle from what Alya could tell.

Only now her face was set with the same determination she used when facing down nasty clients, her father-in-law, and Chloe at her worst, and she was dragging Alya down a side alley with more strength than Alya could explain away. Since _when_ did Miss Chubby-Cheeks “I gorge myself on fatty takeout every Friday night when my husband’s in class” have a deadlift strong enough to leave _Alya_ stumbling and sliding along behind her?

“This way, I’ll explain later!” Something fiery sparked in Marinette’s eyes as she shoved Alya into a filthy hole in a wall, clamping a hand over her mouth hard enough to bruise as she nearly shoved her other pointer finger up her nose. If she hadn’t known this girl for almost half her life she’d have gotten the worst case of serial killer vibes, but even so she could feel sweat prickle across her forehead and the back of her neck, her glasses slipping a couple millimeters down her nose.

“No questions, we don’t have time, I’ll let you ask everything _after_ we finish the job.” Something in Marinette’s voice sounded like liquid steel, and the strange familiarity of it sent Alya’s heart pounding. Where had she—?

“Tikki, transform me!”

With three magic words, time froze and Alya’s heart stopped, eyes going wide behind her glasses as the pink flash of light blinded her, and then she was screaming so hard against a suddenly red and black gloved hand she felt lightheaded. _Marinette? MARINETTE?_ All this time and it was _Marinette Dupain-Cheng?!_ The little lady who once couldn’t string two words together to her crush’s face in lycee, and still had klutzy moments as if a black cat crossed her path on the regular, only to lay waste to supervillains like she was born for it, yet couldn’t come up with a plausible lie to save her life. In that moment the whole world shattered around Alya. Blazing blue eyes and a stunningly gorgeous face that had flattened into the soul-crushing determined line used by Ladybug to face off evil suddenly resolved itself into Marinette’s anxious scowl. The girl behind the spots had been the one that Alya had pillow fights with and who she’d been _shoving around_ for literal _years_ because the other girl couldn’t work up the guts to ask out a cute blonde. Alya was going to faint. Or explode. Or maybe even throttle Marinette but she had to remember how to breathe first and Marinette’s grip was _strong_. Of course it was, she was _Ladybug._

“ _Now_ do you know why I can’t go to the akuma shelters?” Marinette’s gaze roved over her face as she peeled her gloved hand away from Alya’s mouth, and she found herself nodding vacantly. “Come on, then. We’ve got to go before anyone sees us! I’ll answer everything after the fight!” Then she stepped away, Marinette’s jittery quirks gone and replaced with fluid grace that left Alya boggling after her. She had seen Marinette trip over _air_ and yet now she looked like she was a ballerina on stage, a gymnast stepping up to the tumbling mat, all lean muscle and solid curves as she unlatched her bandalore from her waist and flung it skyward in a single smooth motion. With a swift twitch of her wrist and the zip of coiling wire, she was gone, and Alya felt herself sinking to the pavement beneath her feet and putting her head between her knees as she remembered how her lungs were supposed to work.

She was never going to be able to say anything about this to anyone, _especially_ not Adrien. God, suddenly the whole Dressuvius mess made _sense_. Ladybug had been the last one to leave the scene after she made sure the dress shop worker was taken care of by the authorities and all the victims were checked on! Nino had been with her for half that time as a precaution, but Ladybug had sent him on ahead while Alya had recorded them for the blog. _So much_ made sense, and it left her feeling sick and tipsy like she’d spun herself too fast after too much to eat.

If it hadn’t been for Trixx leaping from her hair and patting her cheeks with their signature smirk, she’d have likely sat there for hours.

“Come on, my huntress, you heard her! It’s not like you to take a scoop like this sitting down.” Laughter sparkled in their eyes as they tugged at her curls, and she felt her own grin slide back into place.

“You’re right, let’s go hunt some akumas, Trixx!” Pushing herself to her feet, she fixed her glasses and felt her grin turn decidedly wild, her teeth already feeling sharper. “Trixx, transform me!”

Fiery light blazed high in the alley, and soon enough Rena Rouge was bounding across the skyline, fangs bared and eyes burning with the thrill of the hunt. Oh yes, for today she was hunting more than just akumas. Today she was hunting _ladybugs_.

* * *

“What do we know so far?” Chat Noir perched on a chimney stack, his ears flicked forward as his tail lashed, looking for all the world like an impish gargoyle wrapped in leather. Relief washed through Rena at the sight of her friend’s playful smile, the way his pupils narrowed as he looked out over the wash of color that had taken over the streets. Without his rakish grins and snappy wit the group had lost a large part of its heart and soul, and while her _cara mia_ could soothe Ladybug’s jitters and Rena knew she herself was hysterical and witty, it wasn’t the same. It was rather jarring seeing _Marinette’s_ face when she looked to Ladybug, and finally realizing the soft smile and the look she gave Chat was so painfully familiar.

It was the same sort of look she saw Marinette regularly give _her husband_. That adoring resignation to his goofy antics. The way she’d groan at his puns even though she would toss her own in a heartbeat when the moment allowed. Rena’s mind whirled as she watched Ladybug step close just to stroke Chat’s ears and scratch his chin, soaking up his presence like a sponge. Without Chat she’d been withering, the light in her eyes dying a little more every time they suited up and no matter what those two said, she was fairly certain that when Marinette had married Adrien she’d gotten married a _second_ time. The way Ladybug and Chat acted... it was as if the entire universe revolved around each other. But then again, could she really talk? Running her tongue thoughtfully over her fangs, her eyes narrowed a little, feeling her coattail twitch as she mulled over years worth of facts and memories.

Ladybug and Chat Noir had always danced the line of platonic and romantic intimacy, even when they were all in school. They had always been quick to touch and fire snappy one-liners, with Ladybug pretending to endure Chat’s tendency to drape himself across her with a smile. They’d been at this for years, and Rena had to admit that their level of comfort with one another rivalled hers and Marinette’s, which made sense in its own way. While Ladybug had been racing across rooftops with her Chat, Marinette had been giggling in hallways with Alya at her side, sneaking around and getting into almost as much trouble. And sometimes Marinette would have to swoop in wearing red and black spots to get Alya out of it, while Alya had to dig Marinette out of whatever hole her overly-complicated plans had dug her into.

This was _still_ making her brain spin putting the two faces together, her ears twitching as her mind reeled to bundle up all the details to pick over later. For now, she stepped up to the ledge on Ladybug’s other side, resting her chin on her best friend’s shoulder while Chat buffed his face against his lady’s hair. Rena could feel the way Ladybug relaxed, a soft trilling sound felt more in the back of her skull than heard as the bug settled into her comfort zone, her gaze sweeping over the vivid graffiti that was sweeping across the square.

“So far all I know is that the akuma uses specialized inks, but right now I can’t really tell what they do. Have either of you seen anything?” Ladybug glanced briefly to Rena before watching Chat, hardly even noticing as Rena’s arms draped loosely around her waist. Chat’s eyebrows rose a little at Rena, who smirked and wagged her eyebrows at him, making as if to take a bite out of Ladybug’s unprotected shoulder just to see the way his eyes bulged. _Totally worth it._ The fact that Ladybug was showing Marinette’s complete obliviousness to her teammates’ hijinks was icing on the cake. Remembering himself at the last second before he fell off his chimney stack, Chat cleared his throat and shook his head to clear it, tail whisking across the roof tiles below him.

“Nothing as of yet, Buginette. Whoever it is seems to have a thing for coloring outside of the lines.” Chat’s ears twitched as a sly smile slanted across his face, though both he and Rena perked immediately at the sound of an irritated grunt and a sharp buzzing sound.

“We’ve got _worse_ problems to worry about than a bad dye job!” Queen Bee grit her teeth as she struggled to stay on her trompe. The glossy, chitinous black of her boots were missing the golden pointed toes. Instead they had a faded cream color that revealed soft, dark paw pads when one slipped from the spinning top. She and the man in her arms tumbled to the rooftop next to them in a stifled groan of pain. He was splashed with acidic greens and vibrant blues, and it took a moment for him to steady himself enough to sit up.

“Remind me never to hitch a ride with you again, Your Maje _sty_.” He hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand, rolling over onto his knees and elbows as a wave of nausea hit him. Queen Bee looked scandalized, flipping a black-tipped strand of hair over her shoulder.

“Well _excuse me_ if I didn’t want to leave you out there _soaked_ in that paint all by yourself, turtle boy! That look’s _hardly_ an improvement!” Sniffing in dismay, she tore her gaze away from her teammate to stare down at the toes of her boots, wiggling them experimentally. So used to the harder black casing, the soft suede-like feel was unnatural and disconcerting by comparison. She felt unsteady and barefoot, and the sense of wrongness that started just below her knees made it feel as if she was completely unprotected. She _hated_ it.

Rena had been clutching Ladybug’s waist in shock at the sight of their teammates struggling, but recovered quickly, rushing to help Carapace sit up and nearly pulling him against her. His smooth shell shield was gone, and he now sported a sweeping pair of horn-like projections off his hood that seemed to weigh his head down.

“What happened?” Ladybug crouched next to Queen Bee, running her hand over the smooth transition on her suit from glossy, stiff black leather to soft, creamy white, trying to hide her alarm even as she watched the other heroine’s toe pads wriggle as Queen Bee got more upset.

“It was an _ambush_ , what else?” Sighing, Queenie ran a hand over her face and took a deep breath, the sharp tone in her voice softening as she pouted, tucking her chin into the soft fluffy collar that had recently grown on her suit. A finger caught a golden strand of hair, twirling it in her fingers as she kept her gaze on the roof tiles beneath her. Ladybug let her hand rest on Queenie’s knee, feeling Chat settle down at her side to keep an eye out, his tail winding around Ladybug’s ankles as a sign he was listening as well as to offer comfort.

“Carapace and I were scouting ahead to see if we could find out more before you arrived, but Carpal Toner was hiding in some dingy alley that she’d just repainted in the tackiest neon colors you can imagine. I didn’t see her until he knocked me out of the way, but…” Her mouth twisted, frustrated and irritated with herself as she hid her face deeper in her collar.

“My shield melted.” Carapace groaned, his face half-hidden against Rena’s shoulder as she cradled him in her lap, rubbing his back to fight off his nausea. “I dunno what she did, but once she got her paints all over me I couldn’t use any of my powers and we dropped out of the air like a pair of rocks. I’ve been feeling gnarly ever since, like a part of me is missing.” He winced behind his mask, his trademark goggles gone, and his skin looking ashen from the sickness that was churning through him. Rena only held him tighter, a sharp growl rising from her as she bristled, seeming to grow larger where she sat.

“Shhh, babe, I’ll be alright. LB and Chat’ll fix it. It’s going to be okay.” His voice softened, meant just for Rena as he rubbed her back and arm, not even protesting or resisting as she cradled him closer to bury her face against his and nuzzle into his hood. With Carapace in the best hands, Ladybug looked to Chat, her own brows pinching with concern as she met his gaze.

“What do you think we should do, Chaton? If she can change our Miraculous powers like this…” Her mind was reeling, half tempted to find a corner to detransform in to be able to grill Tikki for answers, or even more likely to race off towards Master Fu’s and beg for wisdom. This wasn’t something they’d ever seen before, and it wasn’t until she felt a warm hand on her shoulder and a tail wrapping around her hips that she realized she was trying to chew her way through her glove to bite her nail as she buzzed anxiously.

“When in doubt, we stay out of sight and watch. Always get a better feel for your opponent before jumping into the fray.” His grin was blinding, his hair glowing in the afternoon light, and Ladybug squinted in suspicion.

“It took you ten years to learn not to leap before you think?” She teased, swatting his bell as he laughed, rocking back on his heels. “Come on, Chaton, I know you’re clever but you’re also the most impulsive person on the team aside from Rena.” Her partner glowed at the praise even though he knew she thought he was brilliant, his ears flicking and the tip of his tail twitching in pleasure at hearing her say it aloud. Only an absolute idiot thought that Ladybug didn’t respect Chat for his smarts, no matter how many times she might have taken him for granted when they were young. Over the years, she’d realized her own mistakes, and had spent a very long time apologizing for it during one of their late-night patrols that had turned to a bit of soul-gazing before she’d fallen asleep tucked against him as he purred..

“Can’t say the cat doesn’t learn not to stick his paws in the ice water sooner or later!” He huffed, preening and posing in order to maximize the way the light caught his best features. In spite of herself, Ladybug grinned, shaking her head as her eyes rolled skyward. And he wondered why she didn’t compliment him more, it always went straight to his head. Taking him by the chin, she dragged him back to the topic at hand by getting him to look at her.

“ _Focus_ , minou. Everyone knows you’re a clever kitty but sitting pretty isn’t going to solve our painting dilemma.” She teased, watching his pupils narrow as he grew serious, even if his smile never wavered.

“Of course, my Lady. After all, we need to make up for the fact that our teammates are in dire need of a makeover again.” His lips peeled back to expose his fangs, though his eyes slid shut and he leaned closer as her grip on his chin relaxed so she could scratch his jaw.

“Exactly. Come on, Chaton.” She rose to her feet, his tail unwinding from around her as she looked out over the ink-soaked streets. Glancing back at her teammates, her gaze softened as she met Rena’s, the other woman’s pupils having reduced to slits in her anger as her claws dug into Carapace’s hoodie. “We’ll go on ahead, catch up when you can.” Then she flung her bandalore skyward, leaping off the roof and hearing Chat’s bell jangling behind her.

The wind tore at her, the world beneath her suddenly dizzying to look at with the spirals of almost fluorescent colors that turned the streets and sidewalks into an unfamiliar landscape. So bright it made her eyes ache and a nervous buzzing sensation build at the back of her mind that tried to drown out her thoughts. Buildings she’d known all her life had taken on entirely new facades, trees and cars warping until they looked like something from a video game. Even her bandalore was growing more difficult to use, the usual anchor points gone as the architecture around them grew smoother, and she landed lightly on a rooftop, tumbling and springing to her feet as she raced towards where the ink grew thinner. A soft sound behind her was followed by the sharp jingle that heralded Chat catching up, his shadow flashing out of the corner of her eye as he sprang forward on all fours, faster than ever on land.

The world raced past them in a blur of color, leaving her shaking her head as they dazzled her, her gaze latching quickly onto the familiar shape ahead of her. The sleek dark form of her partner was easy to make out in the chaos, and she felt her stumbling steps steady as she raced after him, easily vaulting the chimney stacks between them and leaping the gaps between buildings. By the time she caught up with him, the building headache behind her eyes had faded, and the anxious buzzing stifled as she exhaled slowly. Enough that she didn’t even flinch at the hand on her shoulder, Chat’s easy smile drawing out her own before his hand slid from her shoulder to her spine, rubbing her back to help settle her nerves. Ladybug was grateful for it, feeling her tensed muscles relax at the touch until her partner froze, his head whipping towards a side street as his ears angled forward. It was the only warning she got.

“Goooooooood _afternoon,_ Paris!” Carpal Toner was almost as painful to look at as some of the streets they’d leapt over. The akuma was all neon on black, her mask dripping down her face as she grinned maniacally, sliding down the street on a wash of spilled ink. Lifting her hands to the sky, she spun, splashing color across the square, snatching something off her waist with a flick of her fingers. “Come on, lovelies, where’s that Chat Noir and Ladybug power couple you’re all so proud of? I’ve heard _so_ many stories, I think we need to paint some portraits of them, don’t you? After all, this city is just so _drab_ for being a city of the arts!” Pushing herself across the wet street with the grace of a figure skater, the brush in her hand snapped towards the sidewalk and buildings she’d pre-coated in ink. Neon green and pink blossomed across the surfaces, dripping from windows. Suddenly black and red began to surface as the ink began to dry, pouring down the walls to reveal a larger-than-life depiction of Ladybug and Chat Noir as their teenage selves as if they were leaping into battle.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” The singsong tone she used was chilling as the chipper voice dropped to a sneering growl, the akuma’s vivid lips twisting as she leered. “I promise I’ll make it _quick_.”

“Now, now. That’s no way to convince anyone to introduce themselves!” Chat Noir tossed his head with a sly smile, leaning on Ladybug’s shoulder and idly spinning his tail with the other hand. “Though I’m quite flattered at the portrait, I think you caught my eyes just right!” He fluttered his lashes, then smirked down at his partner.

“Don’t you think so, Buginette?” His fangs glinted, a chuckling purr rising in his throat.

“A little dated in the design, but she did capture the color quite nicely.” She met his smirk with her own, planting her hand on her hip.

“Well, I suppose I _could_ help you two out.” The akuma’s smile grew to an alarming grin, all teeth and a wild spark in her eyes. “Those costumes of yours are definitely in need of a little _touch up_.” With a flick of her arm there came an ominous rattle before she lifted it, the brush gone as the dark shape Ladybug had mistaken for an intricate cuff of the akuma’s suit transformed into a _cannon_ , ink barrels spinning around her forearm as she prepared to fire.

“Chat!” Ladybug pushed him, and the two leapt to the sky in opposite directions a split second before a colorful bomb erupted where they’d just been standing, ink bursting across the roof and down the side of the building, splattering the street below. Ladybug scanned for a safe place to set down, unsure if it would be safe to land in the wet inks without causing herself harm.

“Here kitty, kitty!” Carpal Toner sang, her voice rising several octaves as she skated after him, spraying the street with her cannon to glide effortlessly across it. Her passage leaving wide spirals of blinding colors behind her that left Ladybug dizzy just looking at them. Rubbing her eyes, she shook her head and took off after Carpal Toner to knock the akuma off Chat’s trail as he bounded from one building to the next. He was darting between bursts of ink, dropping down to strike the akuma before vaulting away with his baton, fighting to keep his feet from splashing down in the paints the akuma flooded the street with. Only Ladybug saw when the akuma realized this, a shout of protest rising in her throat as the akuma swept a foot out, catching the base of Chat’s baton and smashing her cannon against his chest when he swiped at her with his claws.

The blow winded her partner, the baton slipping in the paint, and suddenly he was dropping, the akuma letting out a barking cackle, loud and raucous as she fired the ink cannon at point-blank range. He fell with a splash, the force of the explosion sending him flying down the street in a trail of colors, splattering the asphalt with every bounce before he rolled to a stop and left a long streak of murky ink behind him.

“There! Let’s see how well you sport your new look, shall we? You’ve been needing an update for _ages_ from what I heard! So why not mix it up a bit?” The akuma straightened, only to stagger as Ladybug’s feet connected with the back of her head. Stumbling, Carpal Toner fell into her own paint spill as Ladybug threw herself forward, running to where Chat was struggling to push himself to his feet.

“Chat!” She dropped to a knee by his side, reaching for him only to yank her hands back as she looked him over. The ink was still fresh, dripping from him and pouring off his hair and face as he slipped and slid, trying to push himself upright. “Are you all right, minou?”

“What?” A flash of green glinted at her before he squeezed his eyes shut and hissed in pain, reaching up to rub his face only to think better of it when he realized his hands were just as soaked as his face. For a moment he looked ready to shake himself off, but Ladybug was too close, and he’d coat her in the wet mix of paint and ink if he tried to shake himself dry. His eyes burned from the ink that had dripped into them, and everything felt _wrong_ and he had no idea why. The world tipped around him, his hands shooting out to brace himself, but when he tried to sink his claws into the ground for better traction he found his fingers slipping.

That obnoxiously loud laughter erupted from the stunned silence, and the pair of heroes looked up to see Carpal Toner surf-skating towards them with a look of triumph on her face. Risking her own suit, Ladybug grabbed Chat’s wrist and hauled him up, snapping her bandalore out and taking to the sky. This seemed to make the akuma laugh more, the sound unnervingly delighted as she heard the wet bursts of ink on pavement that signaled the villain’s pursuit as she skated after them. Chat clung tight to her wrist, a loud buzzing filling her head as her heart raced, and she set her partner down gently before dropping down beside him. Then she raced to the edge of the roof to get a good look at where Carpal Toner was before ducking back again.

“Chat are you going to be alr—” Ladybug looked back over her shoulder and her words died in her throat as her partner rose from his crouch. He turned his hands over to stare at his palms and then turned them again to look at their backs. Gone were the ears and tail, his wild hair tamed into a slick coif that swept his unruly bangs to the side and tipped the hair with a vivid crimson, his stunned gaze less green than she’d ever seen it. When he looked up to meet her eyes she found herself stumbling, his face framed with a red and black mask not unlike her own, and his slitted pupils were gone. A _very_ human gaze stared back, his eyes green and hazel, though the strawberry blonde scruff that hugged his jaw was still there. Her mind reeled at how familiar and yet _wrong_ his face looked, and that wasn’t even taking into account the drastic changes to his suit.

Her kitty cleaned up _very_ well. His wild rebellious look was transformed into sleek lines that made his outfit into something less like motorcycle leathers and more like a vest and coattails. Coattails that snapped open in a flash of blue and pink shimmers as he let out a nervous buzzing sound and something _fluttered_ behind him.


End file.
